


When the Little Bird Fall into Your Hands

by Felin_V



Series: The Journey of The Little Bird From The Sky [2]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Adoption, But Angst is inevitable, Canon-Typical Violence, Childhood Trauma, Developing Relationship, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, I don't know how to write but I wanted to, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, It's a long way till adoption though, Kid Fic, Possible subtle spoil for every routes, Slow Build, So here we are, TWSITD sucks, War Against TWSITD, and she will get it, child experiment, i want more fluff, my child deserves all the love, post CF
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:20:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 119,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24118639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Felin_V/pseuds/Felin_V
Summary: After the war against the Church of Seiros, Byleth and Edelgard settled themselves at the Enbarr palace, determining to bring a true peace upon the united Fodlan.As the war on the surface had concluded, it was time to put an end to the mastermind of all the suffering, Those Who Slither in the Dark.It was not a simple task for the Emperor of Flame to both recovering the damage to the citizens and waged yet another silent war against the shadow that had been looming over their land for decades. However, with her Wings of the Hegemon by her side, she had no doubt she could accomplish everything. And she also had her trusted Black Eagles Strike Force by the side no less.But what she and Byleth did not expect from this war in the darkness was the fateful encounter with the sole survivor of the inhuman experiment, the scarred little girl that was soon to alter the tides of war. Unknowingly, this very girl would be the same one who would steal the heart of everyone she met, including Edelgard's and Byleth's. But when would they accept their gift?AKAAdoption AU where Edelgard is simply being stubborn not accepting her true feeling while Byleth just wants to be happy with hers.
Relationships: Dorothea Arnault/ Petra Macneary (Minor), Edelgard von Hresvelg & My Unit | Byleth, Edelgard von Hresvelg/My Unit | Byleth, Ferdinand von Aegir/ Hubert von Vestra (Minor), Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: The Journey of The Little Bird From The Sky [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1728796
Comments: 96
Kudos: 150





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! This fic is really my indulged ideas that popped up out of nowhere, so mostly I write this for myself.  
> Posting this in public is just another way to force myself to have a tangible story rather than a vague idea existed in my head.  
> Oh *whispers* the song track I posted in the summary is there to amplify (I hoped) the mood of the fic in each chapter. Some of it might be another interpretation of the character in that chapter. You can listen to them while reading. But you don't have to. It's just something that sounds fun to me.*whispers*
> 
> Last point, English is not my first language and there's no one to prove read my writing, so I apologize in advance for any errors in my writing. It was never been my intention to upset you, so if you find this issue is frustrating, I'm so sorry.  
> Otherwise, I hope you enjoy.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Song track: A Simple Mission - Violet Evergarden: Automemories OST by Evan Call

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Finally, I finished the first chapter of my very first multi-chapter fic. Phew  
> I'm still a newbie in the writing scheme, but I'll try my best to deliver, especially just because it's an Edeleth fic.
> 
> Now, I hope you enjoy the first chapter.
> 
> A small vocabulary lesson:  
> 'ที่รัก' is read as 'Tee-ruck.' It literally means ‘the place where my love lies’ in my language. This is quite a common word a couples or spouse use to address each other.  
> Edit Aug 20: Now that my writing is improved from the day I wrote this chapter, I basically revised the whole chapter. orz I remembered didn't know how much the story will go, so I didn't invest my time much in my first chapter. And when I looked back to it, it was soooo messed up. Sorry about that, everyone. So for the revising, I added more sequences and changed details quite a bit...or a lot? Yeah quite a lot. So If you could re-read it and let me know how it was, I'd really appreciate it. Thank you! And I'm so sorry for the first mess. orz

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

_Have you ever had experience taking care of an injured little bird?_

_What would you do about it?_

_Would you foster it by yourself? Or would you rather give it up to others? Or ignore it, pretending you have never seen it?_

_And when it was well, would you let it go? Or rather keep it until the end of its life?_

_What if I said, from the start, you never had a choice?_

_The choice was never yours because no matter what you chose, the little bird would be the one who decided what to do with its own life._

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

Several moons had passed since the final battle at the Kingdom Capital, Fhirdiad. Humanity was finally freed from the dragon beast that had been ruling over Fodlan for almost a thousand years. The new chapter of the united Fodlan, the new dawn, had begun. A lot of things had changed since then too. Under the commitment and devotion of the Emperor of Flame, Edelgard von Hresvelg, the nobility system was demolished along with the value and the status determined by Crest, giving birth to the newly born system in which people shall rise and fall on their own merits and capabilities, not their birthplace. Emperor Edelgard made sure to reform the corrupted system as soon as the war with the Immaculate One had concluded, giving that it was her vital goal ever since she declared a war against the Church of Seiros 5 years ago. Besides, since the nation was still in the state of chaotic transition and gradual recovery from the war, Emperor Edelgard designated every minute of her time among the countless diplomatic meetings, the flooded of documents and reports, and the overwhelmed plead of the lost citizens. 

It had also been several moons since the Wings of the Hegemon, Byleth Eisner, lost her divine power, which was replaced by her heart that started beating for the first time in her life. While Edelgard was busy carrying the whole nation on her shoulder, Byleth was weak and wounded, and thus, she had been confined in the infirmary for several moons after with the direct order from none other than the Emperor herself. During those first few moons, Byleth felt like she had turned back into a young born child again, feeling as if she had never experienced the youth before. While it was quite true in a sense, she still found this feeling quite jarring. Her body, despite showing the familiar appearance with her messy deep navy blue hair and cobalt eyes, was different. Not only her sheer strength diminished due to the loss of the Crest of Flame and the days she spent in the bed with never-ending love stories from Manuela but also her heart had started to behave bizarrely. The knuckle muscular organ at the center of her chest was reborn anew, giving birth to the colorful new world that was strange, yet beautiful, and the emotions that were too novel for her to comprehend. And thus, even though she had to learn and experience things over again, for 26 years of her life, she had never been so grateful for the small thing, yet so essential and powerful, in her chest to bloom magnificently. 

While she understood that this was the first time her heart had ever beaten in 26 years, she did not know exactly how long she had lived until recently. Judging from the diary of her father, revealing the fire incident at the monastery, she might be 21 around the time she was offered to teach at the Academy. But then there was the incident of the 5 years nap in which her time had stopped but not the others. And thus, she could never say for sure how long she had been breathing within this realm. Despite the confusion in her flow of time, there was one thing she was certain. She simply liked to think that she was older than Edelgard. Such a childish thought, she knew. But it was a childish thought that, as she assumed, would urge Edelgard to rely on her more and allow her to help the always-so-busy Emperor. Even though the domains where she could provide aid might be fewer every day, as long as she had a reason to be by her side, Byleth would do anything. Besides, that very childish thought was one of a few things that urged her sense of superiority and satisfaction or feeling _proud_ as she had learned later. Byleth had inwardly wondered why such a trivial, nonsense thing as feeling proud mattered to her that much. Perhaps, feeling proud might make her believe in herself more? She could not tell for sure since she never cared about believing in herself before. After all, if her students believed in her, that was all she needed to push forward no matter what might come.

However, there was a saying that you could never make others believe in you when you did not believe in yourself. Byleth never truly understood what it meant, nor she cared to know. Partly, it might be due to her frozen heart that could stir up nothing to bloom within her at that time. However, when her heart was reborn, Byleth had silently doubted if her students truly believed in her, someone who lacked the capacity to feel, to care even when the matters were about herself. And she had wondered if the others knew she did not believe in herself, would her students continue believing in her? Would Edelgard still believe in her? Thus, as she did not want to disappoint everyone, much less Edelgard’s trust, Byleth had thought to herself that if feeling proud could make her believe in herself more, then she would like to be proud of herself all the time. She could try, at least, and see how it would go. Besides, that would mean she could live up to the title “professor,” a title that even to these days, her formal students still used to address her. Feelings and emotions were such a peculiar concept that she could never know how much it could affect the future, but Byleth hoped that one day, she would get the answer she sought, eventually. Nonetheless, there was no doubt that for her whole monotonous life, walking, fighting, and living with no heartbeats, finally, there were spices added by the flavorful emotion. And she would always be eternally grateful for them. If she had to go back in time and choose again, she would always choose the same, choosing the path where she could walk with Edelgard and love her with all of her heart. 

As the moons went by after, having her formal students and the Emperor visiting her at the infirmary from time to time, Byleth’s recovery had been going well, and now, she could spar with Caspar and Felix with the moderately equal ground. However, after their match, Byleth would inevitably get a considerably long lecture from Edelgard. Fortunately, the lecture was gone not long after, giving that she finally got permission from Manuela to roam free again a few weeks back. Since then, Byleth had retained her usual routine, helping people around, fishing all day, and eating nonstop. Not long after, when the Emperor was sure that Byleth’s health had improved enough to take the long journey across the continent safely, she led her troop back to Enbarr, relocating the stronghold from Garreg Mach to the Empire’s capital city for the upcoming silent war in the dark. After they had settled within the grand palace, the Emperor and the Black Eagles Strike Force quickly resumed their duty to assist the citizens recovered from the collateral damage. While they were quite opposed to the idea of having Byleth supported them at first, eventually, they reluctantly let her. And soon, Byleth had a busy schedule helping others around once again. From time to time, though, she would make sure to have a peaceful teatime with Edelgard, whenever she was available, that was. Unfortunately, since the Emperor was mostly busy with the political and national matters, Byleth could not have teatime with her for quite some time now, including today. And thus, she decided to walk around the palace of Enbarr to see if anyone should need more hands. As she walked past the serene garden of the palace, she saw Dorothea and Petra were chattering nonchalantly under the shade of a great tree nearby with a cup of tea in each of their hands. With no intention to interrupt such a peaceful time for the new couple, Byeth quietly left the garden area and was about to turn her heels. But then Dorothea, as keen as ever, caught the sight of her. 

“Oh, hi! Professor! Where are you going, may I ask?” Dorothea asked with her signature mischievous tone while waving her hand toward Byleth.

Seeing that the songstress invited her over herself, Byleth turned back and leisurely approached the table where both of her former students, which were now her friends, were sitting while answering Dorothea’s question with a subtle smile of her own, “Hey, I was looking for someone who might need my help.” 

As she finished her sentence, Byleth turned to Petra, who was in the middle of relishing her cookies, and inclined her head slightly as a greeting. As Petra finished her sweets with a sip of her tea with the elegant demeanor of the future Queen of Brigid, Byleth noticed a crumble remained on the smooth tan skin. However, before Byleth could notify the woman of the cookie’s remnants on her facade, the delicate and elegant fingers of the songstress extracted the crumbles away from the smooth skin and plucked them into her thin lip. Such a tender touch between the couple urged a faint warmth arose within Byleth’s chest while the canyon rose eyes innocently glanced over the emerald eyes. Dorothea softly smiled at her lover before she nonchalantly shifted back to Byleth as her smile dimmed down with a gaze full of worry. 

"Still as sweet as ever, I see. Seriously, Professor, you don’t have to push yourself too hard to help people around, you know? Especially when you have just recovered from that awful battle.” 

Despite the flirtatious manner she always put up, Dorothea always showed considerably grave concerns when it came to her friends and Petra in particular. Her genuine concern for her friends had always presented even during the Academy’s days, even more so when Byleth was still confined to the infirmary’s bed. Back then, Dorothea visited her quite frequently compared to others in the Strike Force and seconded only to Edelgard, the person who visited her the most despite all the ruling responsibility she had. And this time too, Byleth knew that Dorothea was really worried about her well-being and spoke with a deep, authentic concern for her. It was one of the actual charms of the songstress that only a few could see, and Byleth would always be grateful to receive such pure and beautiful words from her. 

And so, Byleth shook her head slightly before flashing the worried emerald eyes a reassuring smile and commenting in her usual flat tone, “Don’t worry, Dorothea. I’m quite well now, if not better. I bet I can even beat Petra in a spar.” 

With the remark of her name that encompassed a challenge, the future Queen of Brigid swiftly stood up with eyes full of determination before she exclaimed confidently, “In that case, Professor! Let’s do sparring with me!” 

Seeing that her lover was more than eager to accept the hypothetical challenge, Dorothea let out a faint chuckle before she managed a pretended grumble with an exaggerated pout. “Calm down, my dear Petra. Are you sure you want to leave me here, sitting alone on such a beautiful day like this?” 

And as always, the naturalistic performance of the songstress effortlessly misled the foreign Princess. The second Dorothea acted, the determined light in the canyon rose eyes dimmed into remorseful shadow as Petra frantically corrected her words with a clearly nervous manner. “No, no, Dorothea. I’m sorry. That was not my intention. I would never be leaving you anywhere. Please, do not be mad, ที่รัก.” 

Without waiting for Dorothea to answer back or to reveal her act, Petra swiftly went around the table to kneel beside her before the calloused, firm hands of the huntress gently enveloped the soft, pale hand of the songstress. Before Dorothea could say anything, Petra lifted Dorothea’s hand and planted her lip at the back of her lover's hand with such tenderness and care as the foreign word filled with the purest passion and honesty rang again to remind her lover where her heart always belonged to. 

Then the canyon rose eyes looked up to meet the dazzling emerald eyes with soft whispers that Byleth barely heard. “I’m so sorry, ที่รัก. Would you forgive me?”

Dorothea was uncharacteristically taken aback by such a genuine action as a wave of crimson shade took hold of her delicate face. While the songstress’s flawless performance always got the future Queen of Brigid’s attention, the fascinating nature of the pureness in Petra’s words and demeanor always seized Dorothea’s heart and made the songstress fall for the genuine love every time. As such, no wonder why Edelgard, as she always secretly complained with Byleth, had been rooting for them even during the war. 

It took a moment before Dorothea could regain her composure and maintain her voice enough to sound comprehensive as she choked out, “O-of course Petra. I-I would never be mad at you, dear.” 

With a fond smile, Dorothea brought her free hand up to cup Petra’s firm jaw as the vivid emerald eyes admired her lover's fine features in adoration. After a beat, the songstress pulled the Princess in with a peck on the cheek, sending a bright smile on Petra’s face. All the while, Byleth was watching the couple with adoration, feeling... _happy_ to see her friends happy. Noticing that they were being watched, Dorothea, returning to her mischievous self, flashed Byleth with a wide grin as if she was trying to shift the subject. 

“Professor. Did that remind you of _someone_?” 

With the emphasis remark at the last word, certain lilac eyes with snow-white hair appeared at the forefront of Byleth’s mind in an instant, followed by a tint of red appeared on her usually stoic face. Finally, as she successfully teased someone and altered the flow of the conversation to her side, Dorothea continued with a bright chuckle and a wink, “Oh goddess. You and Edie are too adorable for your own goods, you know that? Right, my dear?”

Standing up beside the songstress, Petra responded with a curt nod despite being a tad bit bemused as if she could not fully follow what Dorothea meant just yet. As the messy blue hair hoped to steer the subject in a different direction, Byleth cleared her throat a bit before asking the couple with her usual monotone as if what happened a second ago never happened, “By the way, what are you two planning to do after this?”

As the light chuckle died down, Dorothea, as well as Petra, gave Byleth inquisitive looks, and so, Byleth elaborated more, “Well. The war concluded now. And the new system is established well and smoothly every day. So I'm wondering what you would do now.” 

With that, Dorothea and Petra shared wishful gazes that reminded her of Edelgard’s one whenever they talked about the future they wanted to build together a distant future that despite not knowing when they would come, both she and Edelgard gladly waited as long as they had each other. 

After a few moments, Petra was the first to break the silent conversation between them and turned her bright gaze toward Byleth, “I was thinking of bringing Dorothea to my homeland, Professor.” 

“ _We_ were thinking about going to Brigid together, Professor. And live there, eventually.” Dorothea corrected her lover with a light squeeze where their hands joined before she turned to Byleth and continued, “But we agreed that there is still something for us to do here. After listening to the story Edie told us, there is no way we would let her handle this war with those eerie people alone. Not again.” 

Dorothea finished her conviction with a flame ignited in her emerald eyes, which seemed to be contagious as her lover’s eyes also flashed a similar glow. It was also the same flame that Byleth could take a glimpse inside her chest when Edelgard first told her about the hidden group that ruined her family. Thinking back, it was shortly after Byleth woke up from the wound and exhaustion she bore during the final battle. Edelgard had gathered everyone at the infirmary before she had revealed her “condition” and the truth about her _allies._ All of which had done under the supervision of Byleth, praising the desperate persuasion Byleth had to deliver in order to convince Edelgard to do so. It was beyond a question that revealing her secret that she always kept close to her chest could take a substantial toll on her. And Byleth would rather be by her side to support Edelgard if she ever drowned into those loathsome memories again. More than anything, Byleth would not want to just lay helplessly on the bed with her weakened body and let Edelgard handle her overwhelmed feeling alone. Fortunately, it seemed that all of her trusted friends took the message well, and most of them, including Dorothea and Petra, seemed to be even more eager to take down those who truly were responsible for their beloved Emperor’s nightmare. It was then when Byleth first learned the feeling of being _proud_ and being _grateful_. And at this moment, she was proud and grateful of her former students, and currently her best friends in front of her.

“Thank you, you two,” Byleth quietly said with a subtle smile that could convey her feelings more than words. 

“Do not worry, Professor. We would see this through to the very end together,” Petra exclaimed with her bright, innocent smile that always warmed everyone around her, including Byleth.

Dorothea hummed in agreement with her lover as she tried to lift the air up in her own way. “Though I doubt that our dear Edie would really need any of us at all since she already has you by her side. After all, she had only an eye for you since the beginning, wasn't she?” 

The mischievous songstress finished her words with a wink that prompted another wave of heat gorging on Byleth’s stoic features. Sometimes, Byleth wondered why Dorothea loved teasing her and especially Edelgard, that much. While Edelgard would always be her first victim, Byleth had noticed that after the final battle, Dorothea had teased her more so than when they were in the Academy. Byleth wondered why, but she was quite sure that she might not get an exact answer from the songstress. And so, she never asked. 

Noticing the messy blue hair went quiet, Dorothea continued with a wider grin, “Did I, perhaps, poke you on the right spot?” 

Truth to be told, it was quite true that Dorothea did stir up some feeling in Byleth, making her heart somehow crave to see Edelgard at that moment. Initially, she could not completely understand the emotion she had toward Edelgard, but since they were not a bad one, she was willing to understand what it was. And thus, she slowly learned from the past few moons, mainly from Dorothea, that it was a feeling of love. Apparently, Byleth was really deep in love with the Emperor. Not that Byleth would complain or anything, though. 

Nonetheless, despite all the jest Dorothea managed to pull on her, Byleth shook her head slightly as she corrected the songstress, “Don’t think like that. Both of you and all of you are her friends. I'm sure Edelgard wants to have all of you by her side, too, not just me.” She paused to look into their eyes before stating with a firm voice, “And I need all of you too.”

Ceasing her giggling, a fond smile replaced Dorothea’s amusing features in an instant as the brunette locks simply said with a neutral tone as if it was something she was planning to do all along, “Well. Even if both of you did not want us, we would just cringe to you with all our might until you allow us to stay anyway.” 

With that, Byleth’s lip pulled up into a subtle smile as she decided to take a seat and joined them for a relaxing teatime. After a few moments with ideal converse, Byleth excused herself and let the couple spend their time together. Right now, Byleth’s objective was changed. Rather than patrolling around, looking for those who might need a hand, her urges to see Edelgard was far too strong to ignore after being stirred by none other than Dorothea. And thus, she decided to go back to the palace to meet with her lover solely to seize the tension of the urges in her chest. She just wanted to see her right here and then. She missed her dearly. Besides, she had been walking around since morning, and no one seemed to need additional help. As if on cue, before Byleth could stride any further, a loud, frightful shriek followed by a Pegasus’s disturbed whine reached her ears. As she thought that someone might be in danger, Byleth quickened her strides toward the direction that the sound came from. And soon, she found herself in front of the stable of the Enbarr palace as the cobalt eyes witnessed three people surrounding an upsetting Pegasus, which continually and furiously stomped his hoof on the dusty ground. Sensing the newcomer, the three whipped their heads toward Byleth as they were all frozen in place. 

In front of Byleth, Ferdinand was trying to calm the poor Pegasus down with hands firmly on the creature’s rein and a mildly surprised expression on his face. Quite a bit further, Bernadetta was half-crouching, half-standing over a certain man with a mixed expression between fear and shock. And then there was the man with a familiar black attire who awkwardly stumbled on the ground near Bernadetta and the Pegasus. If she found them in a different circumstance, Byleth was so sure that she would accidentally snicker at sight, considering that the expression on Hubert’s usual collected facade was something which instantly urged a foam of bubbles within her. It was such a rare sight that Byleth was tempted to retell it with Edelgard. That might be able to pull a few chuckles from the serious Emperor, she thought. While Byleth believed she had controlled herself well, she unknowingly let out a breathless puff that left Byleth’s facade with a contorted lip as she tried her best to muffle her laugh, prompting the three, especially Hubert, to straighten themselves and recompose their manner that instant.

Trying to disguise her impulse to snicker, Byleth cleared her throat audibly before she flatly asked, “What are you doing?” 

The three shared a glance for a moment before the purple locks frantically choked out, “H-hi, Professor. It’s nothing. We did absolutely nothing. We definitely did not try to help Hubert petting a Pe-AAHH”

Bernadetta’s words were cut off short by the hard glare from the towering man beside her. And so, Byleth could not help herself but slowly approached the panicky woman to give her a light pat on the purple locks. The fact that Bernadetta did not immediately run away from the spot by Hubert’s maniac was impressive enough for the woman to get praise. However, that did not mean the purple locks would not hide herself behind Byleth and shivered slightly, and she did exactly so. 

As Byleth tried to soothe Bernadetta, Ferdinand chimed in as he lightly patted Pegasus's snout to keep the creature calm, trying to pacify the situation, “We were persuading Hubert to pet the Pegasus, Professor. But as soon as he was close to her, this beauty here suddenly acted strangely and went wild. And that unexpected reaction sent us quite a shock.” 

This time, the hard glare immediately shifted toward the bright orange locks while Ferdinand was trying to explain the situation. However, it seemed that the dark glare did not stir the man one bit. Instead, Ferdinand simply shifted his gaze toward the golden eyes and quirked his brow in question. It was such a stark contrast to the trembling woman behind Byleth, who seemed to be afraid of Hubert killing her with an almost crying facade. However, as Byleth silently and carefully considered the situation, she remembered that, during the Academy’s days, Hubert secretly asked her in the advice box in which he might have stated he wanted to be a Pegasus Knight. In that case, it would make sense why they were trying to help him become familiar with the creature. Despite his fear of height, he could at least become close to the creature to pursue his dream instead.

After Byleth nodded to herself in comprehension, she slightly tilted her head to the side and simply asked the towering man, “Want me to h-”

“There is nothing here you can help, Professor. You should resume your track without worry,” Hubert interrupted Byleth with a deep, collected tone that overtly suggested that she should leave him be. 

Knowing that the man, while being more open with his comrade than before, did not prefer others to overstep his boundary unless he asked himself, Byleth curtly nodded. If Hubert needed her, he would ask for an assistant later. With that, the man inclined his head as he quietly excused himself to attend to other important matters. As Hubert was about to leave the stable and the Pegasus, Byleth realized something. 

“By the way, can you tell me where Edelgard is?”

Hubert slightly turned back toward the stoic feature with a quirked brow before he replied with his usual composed facade, “Your Majesty should be in her office as of now. If you are going to see her, I suggest that you should be on your way at once as she will have an important meeting coming up soon.” 

The messy blue locks slightly nodded for both as an acknowledgment, and thank you for the information. Hubert looked at her way for quite some time before he resumed his track again as he was sure none of them would start a new converse. When the black attire disappeared out of their sights, Byleth heard Bernadetta sighed audibly in relief while Ferdinand’s sigh was more of an exasperated one.

“I cannot believe that man. Why does he always refuse to do something he likes?” Ferdinand grumbled with a frown as he gently led the Pegasus back to her cozy stall. 

While Byleth silently agreed with the bright orange locks, she heard Bernadetta slowly crept out of her cover as she spoke up, “It’s okay, Ferdinand. I’m sure he will try it again next time.”

Hearing such optimistic words from the purple locks, Ferdinand brightly smiled as he exclaimed with an energy that could rival the sun, “That’s the spirit, Bernadetta! Yes! We’ll try again next time.”

Not long after, both of them fell into a casual conversation with a little bit of planning for persuading Hubert next time. Seeing how close the three of them had become over the years, Byleth, who was quietly watching the two with a smile adorned her face, felt her heart was enveloped with a warm blanket. While she regretted leaving her students to face the outbreak of war alone, without her guidance by their side, Byleth was glad that they never left each other’s side and greatly strengthened their bond. Thus, as she did not want to disrupt the peaceful exchange between the close friends, Byleth secretly faded herself out of the stable and continued her way toward the Emperor’s office. She did not want to interfere with the pleasant time her former students deserved from the very beginning, after all. 

And so, as she nonchalantly made her way toward her destination, Byleth strode past the training ground of the palace. When the opened entrance toward the dusty air mixed with a scent of salty sweat was in the cobalt’s periphery, Byleth heard a sound of iron weapons clashing against each other before it followed by a large, dull thud as if someone was thrown rough and hard onto the ground. As she got quite curious about what was happening, Byleth peered into the training ground and saw Felix sprawling his back on the ground, a broken iron sword in his hands, and a curse formed above his frown, directed at the man who stood above him. 

“You- Damn-- Ugghhhh” 

“Don’t do that face, Felix. It’s not my fault that you are an ideal target for being thrown away like this!” Caspar exclaimed with a boisterous laugh that could be heard effortlessly 

“Too true, Felix. It’s not his fault you are so light. Now accept your surrender and yield already,” Sylvain, who overlooked the sparring on the sideline, chimed in with a not-so-subtle snicker upon seeing his childhood friend being thrown like a child. 

Before Felix could open his mouth to protest, Caspar noticed a messy blue hair peeking out from the entrance and waved vigorously in Byleth’s direction. “Hey, Professor! What are you doing? Wanna join us?”

Upon the announcement of the new guest joining, Felix was quick to get up on his feet and made himself presentable as he stole a moment to send a brief snarl toward the sky-blue hair man. However, as Caspar responded with nothing but a wide grin adorned his young face, Felix gave up and, instead, greeted Byleth with a slight nod. Sylvain, who just approached his childhood friend with a light pat on Felix’s shoulder, also greeted Byleth in the same way, albeit with an additional wink that he usually did when meeting women. 

“Hey, guys. Sorry, but I’m on my way to see Edelgard,” Byleth simply replied as she approached her former students, thinking she would just talk with them quickly and made sure Felix did not need any healing before she resumed her way. 

Upon hearing the name of the Emperor whose name tended to be, more often than not, followed by either the word ‘meeting’ or ‘parchment,’ Caspar voiced his prediction within a beat, “Edelgard? Isn’t she still busy with things, though?” 

Upon hearing a comment, Byleth pondered at the possibility that the Emperor was still busy with her pool of documents and letters at this moment, and she inwardly agreed that it might be true. Besides, Hubert just told her that there was an upcoming meeting for the Emperor. If that was the case, then it would be more likely that Edelgard might try and want to finish her office work before the meeting started. And if she wished so, Byleth did not want to interrupt her. She did not want to be a burden for Edelgard, after all. Nonetheless, as she silently concluded that it might be better if she did see the Emperor until the end of her meeting, Byleth’s heart felt like someone grabbed hard on it, just like how children would squeeze their play dough, pulling her features into a subtle frown. 

All the while, Byleth heard Sylvain continued with a scrunch face and a disgusted tone, “Yeah. Poor her. She has to deal with all those filthy ugly nobles, trying to seduce her with their foul prestige and-- Ouch!” 

Sylvain was interrupted by a smack at his arm, executed with precision by Felix beside him. When Sylvain was about to query the punishment he thought he did not deserve, Felix tilted his head toward their former Professor. Suddenly, both Sylvain and Caspar twisted their facade with a spark of guilt running through their veins as if they were struck by a thunder spell whenever they accidentally irritated Dorothea. In front of them, the messy blue hair lowered her head slightly as the cobalt eyes saddened and looked at nothing but the ground below. The sight somehow reminded both men of a disappointed puppy or an upset child who just received a word of rejection. 

Caspar, being as perceptive as he could be, nudged Sylvain’s arm with his elbow, and accused him of the situation in front of them as he whispered harshly to urge Sylvain to remedy the awkward situation they were in, “Do something, man.” 

Sylvain, for his part, frantically searched through his mind and all of the flirting skill he accumulated over the years. Eventually, feeling like a million years had passed, he squeaked out the most genuine cheerful tone he could manage, “Don’t worry, Professor. I’m sure Her Majesty always wants to see you. I bet she hates spending time with other nobles. Why? Because the only person she wants to spend time with is you! Professor.”

Byleth slowly looked up from the floor she had found interesting for a while as her brow furrowed slightly in mild bewilderment, “You think so? But I don’t want to disrupt her.” 

“Of course, Professor! Edelgard always wants to spend time with you no matter how busy she is. And I bet she will be more than happy to have you interrupt her work.” 

Caspar joined in, hoping to elevate more confidence in his former Professor to finally understand how much of an exception she was to the Emperor. Even though their former Professor had always been an exception for Edelgard ever since during the Academy’s days, the Professor herself seemed to never notice that. Back then, the woman herself did not even notice the dazzling lilac eyes of the Princess that sent her way every time they were together, nor she noticed her own gaze toward the Princess when they discussed strategies. Not until recently, at least. Every one of the Strike Force still remembered the day vividly when Edelgard came back with the Professor’s hand in hers and a beautiful, shiny ring on her delicate ring finger. It was a sight that made all of them relieved, thinking that, finally, both of them acknowledged and accepted their feelings for each other. Nonetheless, such a perceptive, yet naïve, side of their Professor always remained and continued making the members of the Strike Force, especially Dorothea, wanted just to bury their head in the ground sometimes. However, there were one or two members that still did not truly understand this side of their former Professor yet.

Seeing how desperately his comrades were trying to cheer Byleth up with a baseless assumption that, as Felix thought, would never work on Byleth, he let out a heavy sigh full of annoyance as he said, “Seriously, both of you are-”

“Okay. I’ll go and see her as planned then.”

Byleth interrupted the man as she nodded. The cobalt eyes perked up with enthusiasm and determination to see the love of her life. And so, she briefly bid the three her short goodbye and turned on her heels out of the training ground, marching toward the Emperor as she had planned before. While both Sylvain and Caspar watched their former Professor’s figure disappear through the doorway with a sigh of relief, Felix watched his friends and his former Professor with eyes full of disbelief before massaging his temple as if he was experiencing a great headache. He really underestimated his Professor’s naiveness as always, it seemed. 

“All of you are so stupid.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's only a first chapter so there's not much of anything going on though.  
> I was initially going to have Edelgard in the first chapter, but the length was kinda too long for my own liking, so I decided to have her in the next chapter instead.  
> Anyway, all comments and suggestion are welcomed. Let me know what you think!  
> Fun fact:  
> \- Everyone knows Byleth already "proposed" to Edelgard after the war ends.  
> \- And everyone knows that both their professor and their emperor are just....dumb sometimes.  
> \- While Byleth was recovering, Manuela always complained with her about her miserable love life, plus a lot of love lesson. A LOT.  
> \- Puppy Byleth is canon. And no one can change my mind.  
> \- Poor Sylvain and Caspar just don't want to be k-word by the tiny emperor.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Song track: Your girl - KHAN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone. Thank you for the recommendation from the first chapter! I definitely tried them out.  
> So I hoped that this chapter would be somehow better. *Fingers crossed*  
> Nonetheless, I did enjoy writing this chapter so much. And I hope you enjoy our first appearance of our beloved emperor too.  
> Edit Aug, 22: I made a small changes to this chapter. Namely, I added a few small sequences and dialogue. I also added more details to make them more relevant to the story as a whole as well as improving the flow of the chapter. Although I didn't change lots of things like the previous chapter, I'd really appreciated it if you re-read the chapter. Thank you.

The dry noon leisurely blew away the morning wind. It was one of those days when the sunlight of the midday above shone pleasantly onto the ground below with a company of whistling breeze that subsided any undesired heat. Continued her journey toward the palace with every step full of resolve to see the Emperor, Byleth strode pass servants, soldiers, and civilians who were lively enjoy a beautiful sky and a warm array of sunlight on this peaceful day. Byleth only gazed passed each of them with enough attention to see a smile embroidered on their tired features. Even though there was still a lot of recovery from the collateral damage to do, Byleth was glad to see that their citizens could find a small light of happiness and joy during this chaotic transition. After passing and greeting a few more people along the way, finally, Byleth could catch a glimpse of the massive and elegant gateway to the main palace, which was towering over all the premises in the near distance. As she stepped closer, she noticed two familiar figures emerging from the entryway. Each of them dressed in thick, heavy armor integrated with some leather to allow both a sturdy defense for the vital parts of the body and agile mobility for reposition. Accounting the supply bags on their backs, it was as if they were about to depart for a mission at any minute. 

“Professor! Just in time! I was thinking of looking for you just a bit ago,” Alois boisterously called out to Byleth with a broad smile, revealing various wrinkles on his aged features in the process. 

“Hi Alois, Leonie. Is there anything I could help?” Byleth flatly asked while approaching her father’s old friend and her father’s apprentice beside him.

With that, Leonie scoffed audibly with a disbelief facade and a huffed chest. “Really, Professor? Do you think we would always need your help all the time?” 

Before Byleth could open her mouth to correct her intention, Alois’s boisterous laugh cut in and stopped any further conversation between them. “Always looking after others. You really are just like your old man.” Alois paused for a moment as his fatigued eyes looked into the cobalt pair with nostalgia before he continued with a gentle tone and a fond smile, “Captain would be proud of you, Byleth. He sure would be proud of you.” 

The words prompted the corner of Byleth’s lip to pull up slightly at the mention of her father and how she was similar to him. It was her father who taught her how good it felt to help others, after all. However, Byleth silently wondered if her father would really be proud of her. In fact, ever since the day she desperately held onto the soaked, lifeless body in the pouring rain, she kept asking herself every day what her father thought about her path. Would he be proud of her chosen path? Or would he scold her instead? Nonetheless, Byleth was, and tried, to be true to herself in every choice she made. Just like what her father always told her to do. Always believe in your guts. While it took quite some time, eventually, Byleth had learned that instead of dwelling into what-ifs, she should better move forward, cherish the fond memories of her father in the past, and appreciate everything that came after what had happened. After all, she could not afford to stay still and confused for far too long. Besides, Jeralt would not want to see his daughter lose the sight of her path forever. That was the kind of man he was. As Byleth’s mind materialized a warm, small smile Jeralt wore on his weary face, a smile he reserved only for his daughter, Byleth felt a warmth overflowing from her chest and threatening dampness at the corner of her cobalt eyes. 

Before the overwhelmed memories of her father could pull Byleth deeper into the river of thought, Leonie’s confident tone brought her back to the surface, “Of course, he would. Even I am proud to be your student, Professor.” 

With that, Byleth perked up at such a rare compliment from Leonie, who always carried a rivalry atmosphere against the daughter of the Blade Breaker. She knew that even though the woman sincerely accepted the defeat when they spared last time, Leonie had always strived to be greater than she was. Not that she minded, of course. In fact, the strong confidence and motivation to improve, no matter how hard she fell, was something Byleth had always envied the women. Besides, it was a trait that, as Byleth was quite sure, would carry the woman further into any path Leonie hoped for. Nonetheless, the unusual, rare occasion of complimenting prompted Byleth’s curiosity to overthrow any other thoughts she had at the moment. In any case, it was an appropriate distraction Byleth needed to stray from the trail of old memories anyway. 

And so, Byleth quirked her eyebrow up as she curiously asked with an unbelieving tone, “Is there any particular reason for a kind word?” 

Feeling slightly offended, Leonie was about to open her mouth to protest, but Alois interrupted her with a firm calloused hand on her shoulder. “She was genuine, Professor. Believe me.” 

Although Alois finished his assurance with a genuine smile of his own, Byleth could sense something underneath his bright facade, prompting Byleth’s brow to rise higher in suspicion. Seeing the doubtful eyes of the messy blue hair, eventually, Alois let out a small breathless laugh as he confessed with a less rowdy tone and slightly dimmed eyes, “As perceptive as ever, I see. Actually, Leonie and I are leaving Enbarr, Professor.” 

Byleth, as surprise evidenced on her face, blurted out her thought before her mind could follow. “Why? Where are you going?” 

While she would never hold anyone back from leaving, especially Leonie, who she expected to follow Jeralt’s footstep in her stead, Alois was on the top list of those she thought to stay in Enbarr. Byleth thought that the man would continue being a knight as he had always been, serving under Edelgard and her until he eventually decided to go back to his family. Out of anyone, Alois was the closest figure to a father Byleth could have asked for. It might be due to the promise the man had made with Jeralt, but she could not deny that Alois was always there to support her, in his own way, that was. More than a fellow professor, more than a friend. Besides, now that Byleth’s heart had reborn anew, she was looking forward to listening to the Jeralt’s story that Alois had safely kept close. Thus, hearing that he was about to leave so soon definitely stunned Byleth with unexpectedness.

After a few moments, Leonie chimed in, trying to explain the situation. “Do you remember those flocks from Captain Jeralt’s mercenaries group, Professor? Apparently, they have been looking for a new leader for a while now.” 

As Byleth nodded along, she continued while sending a glance at the man in heavy armor with a gleam in her eyes. “After the war concluded, they came to Alois and asked him to lead the group. Shocking, isn’t it?” 

With that, Byleth nodded curtly with widened eyes as the surprised cobalt eyes turned to Alois, who was sheepishly reaching for his nape before she asked, “And you accepted?”

“Well. Not exactly. I was thinking of accompanying them until I got to where my family moved to, that’s all. Besides, I’m...a bit worried about Leonie here,” Alois calmly replied as he sent concerned eyes briefly toward the young lady beside him before turning back to Byleth. “I’m pretty sure you are aware of your old man’s...issues with tavern tabs while traversing, correct?”

With the mention of her father’s debt, a realization had drawn on Byleth’s face. However, before Byleth could send another concerned look at her former student, Leonie affirmed with a confident tone and head held high, “Oh please, I can take care of myself. I can even take care of the whole mercenaries if I wanted to. And even though I want to be like Jeralt, I know where to draw the line, Professor.” 

Alois sighed deeply and spoke up again with an intention to halt the young woman’s overconfidence, “Well. Drinking habit is one thing, but Captain really have a problem with-”

“Put that aside, we actually just finished reporting with Her Majesty about our leave, Professor. And I have to admit, as strict as she is, she accepted our leave with ease and even offered to support us along the way too. I thought Her Majesty would straightaway turn down our request, you know? There’s still that secret war and everything anyway.” 

Byleth and Alois shared a concerned look for a moment before the latter shrugged off, suggesting Byleth to go with the flow Leonie wished for. And Byleth complied. If it was about the Emperor, she was more than happy to comply. As for Leonie, she hoped that Alois would eventually tell her about the mountain of unpaid tabs her father owed some days. As if on cue, Alois carried on the change of topic with his ever so energetic voice.

“It’s true. I’m surprised that Her Majesty has such a big heart, considering her physique and all. Hahahaha.”

“...”

“...”

“Ah, you know? She is quite small, but she has a big heart...like being kind and that…”

“...”

“...Anyway, Professor. I know you and Her Majesty have another long-overdue war with the creepy flock. We will provide aid as much as we can during our journey, and if you ever need us, we will come back right away,” Leonie flatly spoke up while turning back to Byleth, acting as if nothing just happened. 

Feeling more than happy to go along with what Leonie’s silently suggested, the messy blue hair slightly inclined her head before Byleth continued the exchange, “Don’t worry, Leonie. We will be fine.”

“Wow. Her Majesty said the exact same words too. Both of you really meant to be together, hm?” Leonie noted with slightly wide eyes and a casual grin as she shifted her weight on one leg.

Byleth’s feature was pulled into a subtle smile after hearing Leonie’s notice. While Byleth and the Emperor certainly had a disparity in their strategy, Byleth found that most of the time, their thoughts and goal were pretty much the same. It was something out of many things that Byleth was fond of the Emperor. It was as if she met someone who understood her, someone she could mutually rely on. And it seemed that they thought the same this time too. As much as they would be slightly gloomy to see them go, Byleth knew that Edelgard, just like her, would never constrain anyone from doing what they wished within reason. While Byleth paused the exchange with a smile, Alois, who had been quiet in the background for the past moments, finally found a gap for him to squeeze into. And squeeze into the gap he did.

“Yes, yes. You really found yourself a fine woman, Professor. I’m so proud of you. With you and Her Majesty together, everything could be achieved, no doubt!” Alois finished his loud remark with his fist up in the blue sky, being enthusiastic as he had always been. 

As he saw Byleth quietly glancing toward a certain room through the window behind him and Leonie with a fond smile and cobalt eyes filled with a dazzling gleam, Alois’s expression softened. He knew this expression well. It was the same expression when his wife looked at him or when he looked at her. An expression that Jeralt had told him he wished to see it one day. 

As Alois felt a droplet of water begin to form at the corner of his eyes, he placed his hands on Byleth’s shoulders with a light squeeze. “You finally found a place you belong to. Don’t let anyone question you otherwise. And no matter what happened. Don’t let her go, alright?” 

As the cobalt eyes returned to the pair of pale fern, Byleth noticed how Alois’s eyes seemed to search for something. Strangely, Byleth was reminded of the way when a father searched for truth in his daughter’s eyes. And so, only a beat later, Byleth replied firmly with a resolution and commitment.

“Never.” 

Satisfied with what he had found, Alois slowly loosened his grip free from Byleth’s shoulders, knowing that he could be at ease from the vow he had made 5 years ago. Under his breath, he whispered softly into thin air, “She will be alright now, Jeralt.”

Suddenly, a man from Jeralt’s mercenaries group called out to Alois and Leonie from afar, declaring it was time for them to depart. With only a few time left for them to linger, Alois and Leonie shared a few words of farewell with Byleth before heading toward the horizon outside the noisy city of Enbarr. 

Before their broad shoulders completely disappeared into the distance, Alois exchanged the last words with her, “I’ll make sure to keep in touch with you, Byleth. Don’t forget to take care of yourself.” 

With that, Byleth replied back as she placed her hands around her lip to amplify her voice, “You too, Alois, Leonie.” 

Before she could lose sight of them, Byleth remembered there was another important thing that she had to tell Alois. And so, she called out to him again, “Alois.” 

Turning back slightly with question evidence on his face, Alois stopped in his track to listen to what Byleth had to say.

“Please don’t let Edelgard hear that joke you just did. Ever.”

With wide eyes, Alois let out a loud laugh that could be heard from outside the area of the palace while resuming his track toward the horizon. Byleth was not sure if that was a genuine laugh, or it was just a cover for his nervousness. Either way, after waving her goodbye until her comrades’ back vanished into the crowd outside the palace’s district, Byleth turned back on her heels and went straight into the main building of the grand palace. She had deviated for far too long now. 

It was astonishing that no matter how many times Byleth strolled around the Enbarr palace, she still found herself popped up in the unknown area most of the time. The main building of the palace that housed the magnificent throne room and various other significant chambers such as the Emperor’s and her lover’s private chamber and the war conference, making the building much more massive in structure compared to Garreg Mach Byleth used to live. However, it was not a surprise for Byleth to quickly learn a pathway to a few areas that only mattered to her, say, for example, the rooms where Edelgard tended to be. And her office was at the top of the list. And there she went, going straight for the room and did not forget to greet the servants along the way. 

While Byleth was about a half-way through before reaching her destination, she saw a familiar maid who was, as Byleth memorized, responsible for bringing nourishment to the Emperor. As she approached the maid, Byleth noticed the two trays of sweets and a set of a teapot in the maid’s balanced hands. After greeting the maid and asking her regarding the trays, Byleth was told that, indeed, one of the trays with the teapot was for the Emperor while another was for another sweet tooth, Lysithea. The young Scholar had been busy with Crest research along with Linhardt and Hanneman. However, unlike the sleeping Scholar who could easily sleep whenever he desired and the experienced Crest Scholar who knew his limit, Lysithea, more often than not, tended to bury herself in the research regardless of the day and night. Thus, occasionally, the Emperor would order the young woman to take a break even without her own accord. And apparently this time, it seemed that the order might come in the form of sweets. Seeing that the maid had two stops and Byleth was on her way toward one of them anyway, the General offered the maid to deliver the snacks to the Emperor instead. Despite the humble declination of troubling the General, Byleth insisted and successfully pried away from the tray with a teapot from the maid. After confirming with the distressed maid that the Emperor was still in her office, Byleth resumed her way with a newly acquired tray of sweets in hands. 

As she was almost at the Emperor’s office, she caught a glimpse of a towering black hair and bright orange locks coming out of the room and went toward the opposite side of the hallway from her. Thinking that they might have their own business to attend to after discussing with the Emperor, Byleth decided not to call out to the newly-appointed prime minister and her long-established retainer. Instead, the messy blue hair decided to continue toward the office quietly and silently presumed that this might be a proper time to persuade the Emperor to take a short break with her.

It was not unusual for Edelgard to be busy. In fact, it seemed that the Emperor had worked nonstop since the fall of the Immaculate One. And so, as much as Edelgard always protested against Lysithea’s work habit, she was the one that had a destructive work habit herself. Sometimes, she wondered if Edelgard had to work tirelessly like this just to make up for all the time she had spent by Byleth’s bedside during her recovery. That said, as Byleth effortlessly noticed, the only time Edelgard was able to have a decent rest from her work was during the time she visited her in the infirmary. Most of the time, Byleth could not help but ask the Emperor to close her eyes and rest with her on the infirmary’s bed so that it could ease the dark circle under the tried lilac eyes. Nonetheless, knowing that the Emperor dedicated her valuable time just to be with her, that alone gave Byleth a purpose to recover as fast as possible, so she could stand side by side with the women she loved again and not just laying flat on the bed. Admittedly, she just wanted to be helpful for the Emperor. The broad, albeit small, shoulders had carried everything for far too long. And Byleth wanted desperately to help to ease those burdens. Thus, her first task for being helpful right now was to make sure the Emperor took a full breath from the mountain of parchment that she had buried into for goddess-know-how-many days straight. And so, standing in front of the Emperor’s office, Byleth gently knocked on the doors before a familiar voice called back. 

“You may enter.” 

With permission, Byleth opened the door slowly into the room that, as expected, was full of letters from obstinate nobles and an endless pile of parchments. Among all of those was the Emperor in crimson regalia, who tentatively scribed on her parchment without looking up to greet the newcomer. 

“You are faster than I expected, Hubert. Did you forget something? Anyway, can you also look into the matters with- oh, you are not Hubert.” After knowing who just entered the room, Edelgard stumbled for a tad bit with a surprise mixed with embarrassment evidence on her pale, fatigued facade. 

With a small smile, Byleth replied with a tint of teasing in her tone, “I’m afraid I’m not.” 

When she approached closer to the desk where Edelgard was, she lifted the tray of tea and sweets while tilting her head in an inquisitive gesture as Byleth continued her teasing tone, “Would you be so kind as to have a small tea time with me, Your Majesty?” 

Such a gesture prompted Edelgard to giggle with a fondness she never showed to anyone but her lover. Edelgard could not really have enough of this little teasing side of Byleth, it seemed. Seeing through Byleth's obvious performance, Edelgard retaliated with a smirk of her own while setting down her quill, extracting a shade of pink and a subtle chuckle from the teaser in return, “It would be an honor to have some tea with the love of the Emperor, Your Excellency.” 

“So that’s a yes?” As she always did, Byleth asked for a confirmation from Edelgard with a wishful spark implied within her cobalt eyes. 

However, when she had to give a confirmation, the conflicted lilac eyes that had lost all of its playfulness pondered for a moment while looking at the pile of documents beside her. Without even asking, Byleth knew what the Emperor was thinking. It seemed that as much as she wanted to have tea time, there were some documents that she needed to finish before the day went to sleep. 

As Byleth expected, the snow-white locks bite her lower lip before she replied with a long sigh accompanied by a tinge of guilt, “As much as I would love to, my love, I’m afraid having such a luxurious time could not make all of these paper works disappear by the end of the day like I planned to.” 

Despite expecting a rejection from the diligent Emperor, the declination still pulled the corner of Byleth’s lip down for a tad bit. While the cobalt eyes scanned around the room to find another excuse for Edelgard to take a break with her, an idea came into her mind. Thus, after setting down the tray onto the desk where there was a small space saved from any papers, Byleth quickly turned to collect all the documents into a neat stack and placed them down on the floor. 

Satisfying with her job, Byleth turned to Edelgard, who was about to protest, and simply said, “They are all gone now.” 

The sudden words that came out of nowhere prompted Edelgard to send Byleth with eyes heavy in confusion as she still did not comprehend the situation. And so, Byleth continued with a deadpan face, “The documents. They disappear now. So can you have tea with me?” 

Understanding what her lover tried to get through, Edelgard sighed again while massaging her temple. “My love. They do not disappear. You just-”

“Can you see them?” Byleth interrupted the Emperor as she innocently tilted her head to the side.

The confused lilac eyes blinked a few times as Edelgard said with a troubled face, “Pardon?”

And so, Byleth continued with her usual stoic facade, “Can you see the documents now?”

“Um well. I can’t see them now, but they are-”

“Then, they have disappeared, which means you are done with work, and you can take a break now.” 

“Byleth, I couldn’t just-”

“They have Saghert and Cream for today.”

“I-”

“And Bergamot too.”

Looking at her lover with utmost disbelief, Edelgard silently wondered how and when Byleth’s resistance had developed to this degree of stubbornness. However, thinking back to the Academy’s days, this stubbornness was always there, especially when it came down to any matters related to Edelgard. It just never occurred to her that Byleth could be both stubborn and simple-minded at the same time as posting a dilemma for her. It was cute in a way, Edelgard supposed. Nonetheless, it did not refute the fact that Byleth was giving the Emperor a difficult time right now. Eventually, Edelgard let out a defeated sigh and voicelessly whispered to herself, Alright. I yield, giving way to a wide smile on Byleth’s face. 

In the end, they settled into tea time together on the Emperor’s desk with a forgotten stack of documents laying nearby, albeit out of the Emperor’s sight. Seeing the Emperor’s shoulder slumbered down after the floral scent of her favorite Bergamot hit her nostrils, Byleth felt a sense of accomplishment followed by a relief that washed away her worries in an instant. Edelgard’s working ethic made her gravely worried about the smaller woman’s health more often than not, even though Edelgard’s condition was not as worrisome as Lysithea’s fragile health. Still, Byleth’s heart would feel tight and heavy every time she saw the dark circle under the lilac eyes became visible, the thin line of her soft lips tightened, or the increasing number of wrinkles between her slightly brown eyebrows. She wanted to help ease the burden her lover carried. However, since stubbornness was a fundamental nature of Edelgard, Byleht had to be quite creative in luring her to enjoy herself, to simply be Edelgard. 

“My love, if you continue looking at me like that, I might...not be able to finish my tea properly.” 

Suddenly, Edelgard’s voice that hinted with a slight shade of pink on the pale features brought Byleth back from her trail of thought as she realized that she had been staring at the snow-white locks for a long while. And so, the messy navy blue hair quickly recovered her composure and returned herself to the bashful lilac eyes before her.

“Oh. Sorry. Old habits die hard. Besides, you look beautiful today, El,” Byleth simply replied with stoic features as if she was stating that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, creating a wave of crimson red on Edelgard’s pale skin. 

As the Emperor mask seemed to crumble into pieces from the unexpected sweet and genuine words, the flickering lilac eyes refused to meet the cobalt pair. The sight of Edelgard prompted Byleth’s heart to feel an urge to handle her fragile skin with care, to hold her delicate figure close, and to claim her soft lip as her own. Before her rationality could follow, Byleth felt her body move across the table to the other side, reaching out her hand to cradle the refined face to meet hers gently. An enchanted silence fell over them while they looked fondly at each other, the lilac and cobalt eyes flickered slightly with equal affection. And it was Byleth who broke the comfortable silence with a whisper.

“I miss you, my heart.”

“I miss you too, my light. Very much,” Edelgard whispered back with an equal volume and adoration. However, the light shone in her eyes suddenly dimmed, refusing to meet the glowing cobalt eyes once again. 

“I’m sorry I did not have much time for you lately. I just feel like there are a lot of things to be done with so little time. And-”

“El.” 

As Edelgard started to trail off, Byleth interrupted her with a gentle, yet firm, voice before the messy blue locks slowly leaned closer until she could feel Edelgard’s sweet breath washed over her. Such a heart-stopping distance prompted an overwhelming feeling surged through both Byleth and Edelgard, making both of their hearts ache with anticipation. However, it seemed that the latter could not bear the sight as the lilac eyes closed tight behind their curtain, expecting and waiting for Byleth, her lover, her light, to come closer, closer, and closer until their lips only an inch apart. Byleth, seeing the anticipation in her lover, smirked before closing the distance to collide her lip with Edelgard’s…nose. 

An unexpected result of her anticipation made Edelgard’s eyelids flung wide open as astonishment quickly replaced the dazzling light in the lilac eyes. The surprise lingered on Edelgard’s features far longer than she would like while watching the smirk growing wider on her lover’s face. It was then when she came into a realization. 

“Did you just…tease me?”

Chuckling brightly, Byleth answered back with the most innocent hum she had ever delivered, “Hm. I don’t know. Maybe?” 

Edelgard huffed out loud with a trace of red growing on her face that reached up to her ears while Byleth’s chuckle grew into laughter at sight. For a moment, the urge for revenge surged through Edelgard, like lightning in the howling night. Before her mind could suppress that impulse, Edelgard closed the distance between them and collided their lips together. The laughter was cut off, and only the surprise remained on Byleth’s feature. However, it was not long before she regained her composure and returned the kiss. The kiss then turned into a sweet, tender dessert that both of them happily enjoyed for a long while. Every time their lips collided against each other, it brought Byleth back to their first kiss at the goddess tower. It was right after she gave her father’s ring to Edelgard. At that moment, when Byleth saw her bright, genuine smile with a ring on her ring finger, her newly born heart lurched, thumping against her chest until it felt hurt. When she had leaned in on an impulse, Edelgard hesitated enough to make her, as Byleth had learned much later, nervous. But as their lips had collided for the first time, it was a sensation that both of them would never forget. And for Byleth, the feeling was mesmerized and even addictive. Coming back to the present, as they finally parted, they only separated enough that their lips lightly touched each other and felt the breath of one another. With a comfortable silence fell over them, there were no words needed to be exchanged but an exchange of the dazzling amethyst and cobalt eyes. 

Eventually, with a tinge of crimson similar to her own cape, Edelgard said with a breathless whisper, “Sometimes, your ability to tease me is just beyond my expectation, my love.” 

Byleth chuckled lightly upon hearing such a compliment as she continued her act, “My apologies, Your Majesty. But what can I do? You are cute like this.” 

Indeed, Byleth adored it whenever Edelgard put off her Emperor mask like this and just be Edelgard with her. After all, she would only show this side when they were alone, suggesting how much the snow-white locks trusted her. Not to mention how much different of Edelgard compared to her Emperor mask. Thus, it was quite difficult to deny that this true side of hers was quite charming and adorable. 

Edelgard’s lip turned down a tad bit before regaining her Emperor’s voice that accompanied with a glare. “Cute...is not something to describe the Emperor, I’m afraid.” 

Seeing that Edelgard started to get more serious, Byleth chuckled and apologized again, albeit it was a mischievous apology. After a beat, the messy blue locks leaned closer to peck the soft lip lightly, ceasing the Emperor’s mask and returning the snow-white locks to her true self with a crimson, pouted face in a flash. Nonetheless, Edelgard eventually gave in and released a defeated sigh with a subtle smile on her facade. The sight prompted Byleth to smile with her eyes. She would never grow tired of calling her cute. Besides, it was not something further from the truth anyway. She loved her snow-white locks that were soft and tender against her touch. She loved her fine features that were pale and would light up in crimson tint whenever they were together. She really loved everything about this woman, it seemed. And so, for a moment lost in time, they stayed and continued looking into each other's eyes with utmost adoration. 

“I love you, El.” 

“I love you too, my te-Byleth.”

Now that was something that drew Byleth’s attention from admiring her lover’s beauty. And so, with quirked eyebrows and a smirk returning to her, Byleth continued her teasing, “Hm. your Byleth, huh?”

Within a matter of a beat, the red with the same shade of her regalia returned to Edelgard’s face in a full force as she struggled to maintain her composure. “I-It’s- O-old habits die hard, my love.” 

Edelgard shuttered while trying to increase the distance from the source of her inability to speak, so she could continue producing excuses for mistakenly uttering the old title of the messy blue locks. After a moment of listening to Byleth’s yet another victorious laughter, Edelgard recomposed and cleared her throat while throwing her arms around Byleth’s neck. 

With an absolute resolution and seriousness, Edelgard boldly declared, “But yes. You are mine. And mine alone.” 

Seeing the firm light shone brightly in those lilac eyes, Byleth kept the snow-white locks closer and smiled fondly. “I’m yours. Always.” 

Byleth then leaned in and let her messy navy blue locks mingled with the snow-white hair. All the while, the cobalt eyes never pry away from the lilac pair. Not until Byleth realized something as the corner of her eyes took in the forgotten stack of documents on the floor.

“I didn’t interrupt your important work or anything, did I?”

Edelgard could not help but to giggle at the sight of the cobalt eyes that slightly saddened with a tint of overdue guilt, “After all that and you just worried about it now? Really, my love. Admittedly, I wished you could interrupt everything in my packed schedule. Having you by my side no matter how boring and tedious the work is may actually help me perform my duty better even.”

With that, Byleth’s lip pulled up into a relieved smile before she whispered, “Then I’ll do just that.”

Since Byleth’s tone was full of everything but playfulness, the only thing Edelgard could do was warn her lover of what the result of her action would be. “Please. But be careful of Hubert’s fireball, alright?”

The casual tone of Edelgard prompted a bubble of chuckles from both of them to burst out as they never let go of each other. Their light, heartwarming laugh resonated around the confined room for a long while until the sound of a solid knock emerged from the door. As to not fall into the same mistake, Edelgard remembered to ask who it was on the other side, before the familiar deep voice of her retainer reached her ears. 

“It’s me, Your Majesty. I have an urgent matter regarding the hideout of our allies in the dark.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, I could get started on the plot in the next chapter. That's the main reason why this chapter is a bit longer than the first one. Nope. Definitely not because I wanted to throw some Edeleth fluff in there.  
> Anyway, thank you so much for reading again. I hope you enjoy. As always, feel free to let me know what you think about this in the comment. You can also point me out the additional tags or grammatical errors too if you see any! That said, if something makes no sense to you, I would gladly clarify them in the comment too.
> 
> Fun fact:  
> \- Poor Leonie. She had to deal with those debts Jeralt had pile up over the years. That the cost for inheriting the title "Blade Breaker II", I guess.  
> \- I apologized for a stupid joke.  
> \- While Edeleth enjoy the sweets, the REAL sweets just sitting there, forgotten completely.  
> 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Song track: Where it begins - Fate/Apocrypha OST

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again everyone. Thank you for kudos and comment for the last chapter.  
> I went back to edit a few things for the first 2 chapters just to make sure my writing is more...cohesive. As the story goes on and I become more familiar with writing, I might come back to edit them again in the future. But who knows?  
> Anyway, for this chapter, there are lots of war talks and dialogue between characters. I hope you will enjoy it.
> 
> Edit Aug 23: rephrased a few things and made the story more coherent.

**“** According to the Intel I received from my people within the circle, It seemed that our _allies_ in the dark had made their moves.”

A deep voice from Hubert resonated throughout the war conference room, spreading a heavy dark cloud over every existence that his voice could reach. It was an unwelcome yet familiar atmosphere that Byleth had been dealing with for far too long. Even before she arrived at the Garreg Mach’s Academy, planning, fighting, and taking people’s lives were things that were far too common, just like eating and sleeping. However, now that her heart was reborn, she began to mourn over her crimson-stained hands and the lives she took without considering their values. She regretted it. She regretted her Ashen Demon identity. She regretted being indifferent to a person’s life. However, the thing that she regretted the most was the fact that she, a professor who was supposed to be a guiding light, failed to be with her students when the war in the light began 5 years ago. When they needed her the most, she was not there. And it was clear as a sky without white clouds during summer that her dear students were awfully physically and mentally wounded by the first war, especially Dorothea. But this time. This time, she would be with them, leading them from the beginning to the very end, even though everyone had grown beyond the point to be called a student and, instead, turned to be her comrades in arms. Friends who she determined to keep away from harms. Besides, this time, everyone had the same goal. They united together to take down those who had been controlling Fodlan within the darkness, to prevent another tragedy, to protect the future generation, to help their dearest friend. Together with her friends, they will finally bring a true peaceful new dawn for everyone.

“So, does that mean we can finally beat them up for good?” Caspar, a broad, muscular man with short sky blue hair, blurted out darkly after hearing the report from the Minister of the Imperial Household, pulling Byleth out from her trail of thoughts in the process. 

“Calm down, Caspar. As much as I wanted to punch them in their faces right now, I think we should listen to what Hubie has to say first before stomping in through their front door,” Dorothea spoke up to halt whatever ideas that came into the young man’s head, saving him from his own hotheadedness. 

“Dorothea is right. These guys are not like any knights or bandits you fought before. Far from it, these are people who will sacrifice everything and everyone just to get what they want. They also have capabilities and resources to make the three countries their playground.” The aggrieved voice of the mage with snow-white locks and a pair of pale tulip pink eyes arose from another side of the long conference table. 

When every head in the room turned toward the young Scholar, Lysithea continued, “If you underestimate them, that immature presumption will fire back.” 

Lysithea finished her deterrent with a dark glare full of rage directed at the kind who were not in the present room but somewhere in the unknown location. Regardless, it seemed that her messages did their job well as it generated an even denser atmosphere floated within the war conference room. Before the lingering stilled air could crush any existence within its array, Edelgard cleared her throat loud enough for everyone in the room to hear and turn their attention to her. 

“As Dorothea and Lysithea said, we need to be extremely cautious when we deal with Those Who Slither in the Dark. As much as I, too, would like to wipe them off this world as soon as possible, your safety and those under my command are my priority.” 

Edelgard paused for her intention that was implied in the messages to sink down into her comrades’ mind before continuing with the same calm, resolute tone, “That said, while I trust in your abilities to keep yourself away from severe harms, that does not mean I would allow any reckless action under my watch. Not, if that means I could lose my...dear companions.” 

The last few words were dimmed to the point where only a few people besides the Emperor could hear the content she mumbled out. But no matter how quiet it was, with sensitive ears like those of the songstress, it could not escape Dorothea. 

And so, with a grin growing fondly, Dorothea repeated the words nonchalantly toward the Emperor’s seat, “Oh Edie. That was so sweet of you. It is my honor to be your _dear companions._ ” 

Such a comment not only made the heavy cloud that hung over the room felt lighter, but it also prompted a tint of pink across the Emperor’s facade. Edelgard should have known how dangerous it was to position her best friend, Dorothea, near her seat. And she should have known better not to thoughtlessly utter something nonsense near the songstress’s periphery. After she cleared her throat once again as a few smiles appeared on some of her companions’ faces, Edelgard recovered and steered the conversation back on track. 

“Anyway, I am aware that not all of you might know the full extent of our collected information regarding our _allies_ in the dark, and so...” Edelgard paused again while slightly turning back to her vassal at her flank. “Hubert, If you would.”

The towering man in the black attire bowed his head as he began dancing around the intel he had been gathering until now and conveyed them to his comrades. “Of course, Your Majesty. Allow me to fully report the movement of Those Who Slither in the Dark. During the span of 5 years that the Professor had disappeared, we tried to minimize their aid in the war while maintaining their _trust_ so we could keep our eyes on them. However, it seemed that despite our great attempt, according to my intel, they suspiciously allocated their forces constantly and stayed quite lower than I anticipated them to ever since the war started. This could mean they were suspicious of our real plan and action ever since the Professor chose to side with us in the Holy Tomb.” 

Hubert paused a beat to send his neutral, unreadable gaze toward Byleth, who sat quietly at another flank of Edelgard. Before Byleth could read what message he sent through his gaze, He turned back to face various expectant eyes in the room. 

“After the return of our dear Professor from her death, they seemed to grow even wearier around us. And that gave us some...difficulties in keeping an eye on their movement and locating their nest.”

“Hubert,” Suddenly, Edelgard interrupted as if she was being patient enough while sending a warning glare toward her retainer, urging him to finally move on from overemphasizing the cause of events that already happened. 

Hubert’s pale lip silently pulled into a subtle smug face while he inclined his head again to address the Emperor’s fair warning, “My apology, Your Majesty. Unfortunately, but the Professor’s presence seems to influence our _allies_ in the dark to the point of being...unpredictable, to say the least. And thus, it is my duty to report as it is.”

As much as it despised Edelgard to admit that her lover was the cause of their inconvenience, she wholeheartedly knew that Hubert was right. From the start, Byleth’s presence had been an unpredictable factor in her equation. Not only that the Professor herself was unreadable and mysterious to the young Princess at that time, but her sudden presence also threw the Princess’s plan from one corner to another, increasing her anxiety of facing the uncontrollable force. Even now, when they were about to wage war against the darkness, her lover’s presence still played a substantial role in disturbing the flow of her exact equation. 

Before Edelgard’s realm of thought could drive her deeper, she sensed a light squeeze on her right hand. When she looked up, she saw calm cobalt eyes she always adored and the firm, reassuring smile that brightened up her world every time it directed at her. It was the same cobalt eyes that seemed to pierce through her soul and witnessed everything that was hers. Slowly, Byleth nodded as if saying that she was alright before sending a light shrug toward Hubert. Such a gesture sent the Emperor released a heavy sigh while it urged a small snicker out of the Minister of the Imperial Household. They were always like this ever since the return of the Professor. Both Byleth and Hubert would bite each other here and there whenever they met for the first time of the day as if such leisure bickering was their way of greeting, checking each other’s life source, or it could be a way to sharpen their sword, preparing themselves for any possible threats toward the Emperor. Either way, Edelgard would never truly understand. And thus, she beckoned for Hubert to continue as he pleased. If her lover was fine, then so was she.

“As I was saying, with the growing suspicion and their ability to blend themselves into both the shadow underneath and the crowd above, it was quite difficult to pinpoint them. However, recently, we detected an odd number of their minions gathered together within Boramas territory. There is quite a handful of them considering that they usually only have a few people stationed at each of their dens throughout the continent,” Hubert finished his report as he strengthened his posture, letting the weight of his voice pressed down along with the gravity on everyone’s shoulder. 

In the meantime, Edelgard hummed along quietly as an acknowledgment while analyzing the newly acquired information. Eventually, she looked up and concluded her thought, “It seems that our _allies_ are up to something.” 

Nodding along with the Emperor, Ferdinand, the newly appointed Prime Minister, announced his thought out loud with his usual bright expression mixed with keenness as if he too had been waiting for this discovery for years, “Could this be their actual headquarters? They might fear that we would come to them soon, so they decided to solidify their defense.” 

“But it could be a trap too, is it not?” Petra spoke up, contributing her expertise in sneak attacks onto the prediction of their enemy’s motive. 

“Indeed. Considering how cunning they are, it is not far from a possibility that they intended us to notice their movement, luring us into their stage,” Hubert agreed with the future Queen of Brigid and snickered into nothing and no one in the room. 

When it came to tricky and dirty strategies, Hubert knew more than anyone in this room that even his own cunning side could not compare to those wicked kinds. Edelgard knew how much such a thought despised the man, but it was also an inspiration for him to move forward. After all, it was the reason why her retainer had sharpened and honed his own cunning skill ever since the young Edelgard was released from the dark dungeon. For that, Edelgard thought that Hubert might feel a glimpse of gratitude. 

“But at the same time, they could have slipped their hand and accidentally revealed their base too, right?” Felix pointed out from another side of the table while looking at Ferdinand as if suggesting his agreement with the Prime Minister. 

While some members in the room nodded along and some shook their heads, Byleth quietly contributed her analysis on the table. “I think the chance of them being sloppy is low. But we should not overlook the possibility. At the same time, it could also be a trap.” 

Looking around briefly, Byleth made sure that every eye and attention were on her before she continued with a calm voice and pensive expression, “Either way, I think this is a good opportunity for us to make our first move and deplete their forces. So we should operate with the assumption of this being both a trap and their base.” 

After Byleth finished her evaluation of the situation and the suggestion of the approach, the cobalt eyes simply shifted to the lilac pair and waited. While it was the General’s duty to come up with tactics and strategies for the mission, the Emperor would be the one who made the final decision. And that was what Byleth was waiting for Edelgard. Of course, the Emperor complied only a beat later. Her ideas were pretty much the same as the General’s thought anyway.

“I agreed. Throughout preparations are always better than lacking one. Just a while ago, I also requested the mercenaries that are currently led by Alois and Leonie to send us information regarding Those Who Slither while they traverse across the country. In case they come across any of their hideouts, that is.” Edelgard pointed out as her steady lilac eyes roamed around the room.

“So, that means they could send us more useful information before we finalize this mission,” Byleth silently concluded what plan the Emperor had in mind while noticing a curt nod at the corner of her eyes. 

“By now, they should be just outside the city already. I expected them to get back to us in about 2 or 3 nights when they reach Morgaine Ravine. If Those Who Slither are really gathering within Boramas territory, then they should be able to detect some irregular activities. At any rate, I do want to wipe them out as soon as possible before they can pull more concerning strings. Thus, whether they get back to us or not, the mission will still be operated as planned. That said, as a nature of this war, I intended to bring only the members of the Black Eagles Strike Forces, my personal guard unit, and a few battalions. I hope there will be no objection to that.” 

After a few nods directed at Edelgard, they began formulating a strategy they would use for the mission. While Byleth, as usual, contributed the most in the process, a few of her former students would chime in and voice their ideas and concerns while Hubert would provide more information, if need be. Eventually, they settled down the plan as dividing their troop into two separate units upon reaching Morgaine Ravine. Due to the steep nature of the ravine, the flying units were the only unit that could cross it. Thus, having two separate divisions would benefit them both in their safety and the desired fast pace. Specifically, the first division was the scout squad, consisting of Byleth as a leader, Petra, Caspar, Felix, and a flying battalion, that would cross over Morgaine Ravine to Boramas territory to inspect the terrain and their enemy’s status before the main force arrived. The main force, consisting of Edelgard as a leader and the rest of the troop, would march on foot around the steep ravine and pass Rusalka territory to reach Boramas. As they predicted, the two divisions should unite within 4 days before charging in together. Besides, with this strategy, they would be able to gather potential information about the enemy’s force and movement on site, compromising their lack of intel as of now. Also, since it was risky for the main force to be spotted before the attack, if that was the case, the scout squad could attack the enemy from the rear and divert the enemy’s attention, providing more support to the main force. 

“...and that should conclude our plan for the mission. Now, I do have some more concerns I would like to address.” Edelgard paused and strengthened her back before tilting her head to the former Professor beside her. “Giving that you will lead the scout squad, how...certain are you, Byleth?”

As the mention of her name, the messy navy blue hair turned to the Emperor with inquisitive looks, not sure what she meant. While it was true that their plan was not perfect or without flaws, giving the inconvenient locus and little information they had, this should be the most effective strategy. Still could not comprehend what the Emperor tried to say, Byleth glanced around the room to find more clues from her former students. However, upon seeing all eyes toward her filled with restlessness and worries, Byleth seemed to finally realize that this was about her, not the plan. Thus, turning back to meet the lilac eyes heavy in concern, Byleth rose her arm and briefly flexed it in front of Edelgard.

The sudden and unexpected gesture startled the Emperor a tad bit before the messy blue locks reassured her with a stoic face, “Don’t worry. I’m fully recovered now, and I have been training with Felix and Caspar to keep up my skills too. I won’t be a burden.” 

Regaining her composure, Edelgard’s eyebrows knitted together at the center of her forehead while the lilac eyes filled with even more concerns as if they could absorb any more concerns in them. “That was not what I mean, Byleth. I have never doubted your ability on the battlefield, but it’s just...” 

Before Edelgard could voice her next words, Petra used the momentary silence between them to exclaim with a sparkle in her eyes and determination in her tone, “Do not worry, Edelgard! I will protect Professor from harm!” 

“Petra’s right! Besides, I can guarantee you that Professor’s claim is not too far off. She really beat Felix and me last time we sparred, right Felix?” Caspar energetically continued what Petra started, feeding more evidence on Byleth’s health while turning to Felix across the room as if he was silently asking for another testimony.

Felix loudly huffed as if feeling offended by the fact that Caspar just told everyone in the room that he was, once again, defeated by his former Professor. Nonetheless, he turned to face the Emperor and nodded curtly, confirming Caspar’s statement. As if knowing the real intention behind the Emperor’s facade, Dorothea quietly soothed her Emperor and her best friend with a genuine smile and tone. 

“Don’t worry, Edie. She will be fine. As they said, she can easily protect herself, and they will protect her too.” 

With a wink sending for the Professor, Edelgard finally sighed in defeat. Dorothea was right, she ashamedly let her emotion and baseless fear consumed her mind. This would be just another mission, another fight that they had to face, just like they always had. The difference was that they would not see each other until they reunited, and Byleth would advance the plan with her newly born heart and altered strength outside of the lilac eyes’ sight. That was all.

As Edelgard recomposed to put on a solid mask of the Emperor once again, Ferdinard’s curious voice soared through the air from the seat beside the Minister of the Imperial Household, pointing out exactly things among many that the Emperor had a concern with. “Speaking of which, Professor, pardon my ruthlessness, but may I ask if you will use the Sword of Creator in this mission? With no more divine power from the Goddess as you told us, do you think you could still use it?”

The questions drew the attention of everyone back on track again in an instance. Everyone, including Byleth herself, knew that while she was a capable strategist and experienced swordsmen, her strength would be tenfold, if not infinite, when her skills combined with the divine pulse and the Sword of Creator. With the heart of the Goddess binding with her heart, it allowed her to use such tremendous power with ease, saving her former students for too many times in the past. But now that the heart stone was gone, Edelgard would be lying if she said she never slightly doubted her lover’s current ability. And Byleth herself used to express her own doubt if her own power was enough to save those she cared. Besides, Edelgard knew that Byleth had not touched the Sword of Creator ever since the battle with the Immaculate One ended. And thus, there was no way to know what will happen if the messy blue locks touched the divine sword again without her divine power. As Edelgard’s concern deepened, she heard Byleth’s voice emerging beside her.

“I’m sorry, but I cannot tell that myself,” Byleth answered truthfully in the voice that resembled the whispering wind while she unconsciously placed her hand to her chest. 

Such a gesture that slowly became common nowadays prompted Edelgard to send a gaze heavy in concerns toward her lover once again. Adding more weight into her voice so that everyone could hear, Byleth looked up while affirming with a pensive facade. 

“I’m not so sure what it would be like if I use the Sword of Creator again. It could be nothing, or it could be something.” 

Tightening her lip into a thin line, Edelgard inwardly contemplated other choices for her lover, the safer choice, before she voiced her request, “If that is the case, then can I ask you to restrain using it for now?” 

If using that sword meant risking Byleth’s any harm, then she would rather prevent her from touching it entirely even though it meant losing potential power added into the army. The most important thing for her was Byleth’s safety, after all. Byleth pondered the Emperor’s request for a moment before she slowly inclined her head. 

However, before Edelgard could turn away to address other matters, Byleth spoke up with an uncertain voice as if she was asking for permission, “Can I, at least, try it before we depart for the mission?”

Edelgard considered the cobalt eyes full of a silent plea for a long moment before she finally inclined her head slightly as a sign of consent. Even if she felt apprehensive, Edelgard could not deny that having Byleth testing this out before the real battle started would be safer for the messy blue locks and could provide a fair warning in case the sword did act differently. And thus, Edelgard turned to the pine green locks whose face was buried flat down on the conference oak table. 

“Linhardt, could I ask you to accompany Byleth when she tries using the Sword of Creator later?” 

With his name being called, the pile of pine green hair leisurely subsided, revealing a fine drowsy feature of the sleepy Scholar. Linhardt lifted his head up from the oak surface before responding to Edelgard's request with a yawn and his usual slurred tone. 

“Ah, of course, Your Majesty. If that will give me more information about Crests, then I would gladly do it.” A moment passed enough for Linhardt to be a tad more awake, and then he realized something. “By the way, Your Majesty. Do you think these slither groups would leave some information about their Crests research in the base we are going to?” 

Because her retainer tended to report the Emperor only a fraction of the whole, it was uncommon for Edelgard to get a report regarding Those Who Slither’s research on Crests and innocent people in particular. And thus, it was Hubert who replied to the sleepy Crest Scholar with a deep, calculated voice, “I doubt that they would be sloppy enough to leave any evidence behind. However, if we are quick, then yes, there is a chance for us to get our hands on their valuable materials and useful knowledge before they could destroy them, regardless of whether this is their headquarters or not.”

While Linhardt’s facade was contorted to resemble an annoyance after hearing that there would be more work in order to obtain the information he wanted, the Emperor contemplated on the topic of their enemy’s research and was reminded of something.

“Speaking of which, how was our Crest research going? Is there any particular reason for you to bring up their knowledge?”

With an exasperated sigh, Linhardt replied wearily as a hint of disappointment hung onto his voice clearly, “We searched through the books we have, including those that had been prohibited by the Church of Seiros, but nothing valuable came up. So far, we only know that the formation of Crests and how they operate in our body are, indeed, different from what the Church told us in the Academy.” 

He paused a beat and continued while resting his head against the crest rail of his seat, “Other than that, we only know that it is possible for implementing a second Crest by manipulating the subject’s body and blood. But how exactly is still a big mystery.”

“At this rate, it might be impossible to remove the manifested Crest from me…” Lysithea concluded sorely and continued her breath only when her eyes met Edelgard’s, “from you...Edelgard.” 

Edelgard, knowing the implication under Lysithea’s voice wholeheartedly, flashed the other snow-white locks a reassuring smile. “Do not worry, Lysithea. It might take some time to crack a puzzle, but there will be a day when we can solve it. Do not give up just yet. Besides, as Hubert said, if we strike them quick enough, I am sure we could get a glimpse of their research.”

With a smile of encouragement and resolve, Lysithea was reminded of the promise she did with the Emperor, to never stop fighting for her life, for their lives. And so, with white knuckles under the table and eyes filled with determination once again, Lysithea enthusiastically nodded as if to tell herself that she would be alright. All the while, Byleth, who had been overlooking the conversation between the two persons who underwent the same traumatic life, tightened her knuckle on her chest as if the sight before her made her heart uncomfortable. The corner of lilac eyes also spotted a flickering flame surged within the cobalt eyes, a kind of flame she had never seen from the stoic woman before. It seemed that her newly born heart had given the woman so many emotions to learn. Seeing that this might be another new feeling for Byleth, Edelgard was making a mental note to ask her lover later. 

After glancing at Byleth for a few moments, Edelgard’s resolved and authoritative voice continued to conclude the council, “In any case, as I always say, this war is my personal war against Those Who Slither in the Dark, those that have always been my ultimate goal. Unlike the first war against the Church, this silent war will be much more hazardous and devious. Their technologies and knowledge are much more advanced than any of us could imagine, and it will be a struggle for us to get a hold of. The flame of war will rage once again, albeit within the shadow.” 

She paused to look at the face of her most trusted friends in the world across the room, offering her well-crafted mask of the Emperor of Fodlan which disguised her care and worry before she continued, “Thus, each of you is not obligated to participate in yet another war, and it is never my intention to thrust my own selfish thought on you. I know we just concluded our drafted plan, but if any of you wish to, you can walk away from this war to reward yourself the peaceful day I know you are long for. There will be absolutely no penalty nor consequences for turning your back from me. You have my word.”

After the Emperor’s voice evaporated into the air, a moment of silence was carried on for only a breath before being replaced by various casual smiles. Dorothea, who was closed to the Emperor enough to see through that mask of hers, nonchalantly spoke up while placing her chin on her hands that rested on the table, “Oh Edie. You know there’s no way we will let you deal with these gross people alone, right love?”

Noticing the clue from her lover, Petra exclaimed enthusiastically and brightly toward Edelgard, “Of course! We will be helping you to the end, Edelgard. And I’m doing this for Brigid too! If I let those people be roaming free, Brigid will be in danger as well.” 

The bright marmalade hair across the future Queen of Brigid tilted his head up while letting out a small huff of a relaxed chuckle. “There you go. As for me, I’m pretty sure Felix won’t let this opportunity for sword dancing to pass, so I’ll just have to be there to make sure he will not kill himself out there.”

Felix japed his elbow into Sylvain’s side right after his childhood friend breathed out his laughter for exactly one beat, stopping his burst of laughter in the process. Although he let out an exasperated huff, Felix did not deny Sylvain’s comments. Instead, Felix simply nodded along while crossing his arm closely to his chest, a fire of anticipation in his eyes was visible to all. 

Suddenly, a menacing sneer emerged from the far corner of the room, revealing a slender frame of a man with blond hair, tying up with a black bow. Slowly striding out from the shadow, Jeritza howled out his deep and sinister voice that resembled an animal who craved for its prey, “There’s no way I will turn down the opportunity for me to drink more blood.” 

As she heard her dear brother was, once again, consumed by the dark side of his own self, Mercedes hummed softly. “Well, If Emile will be there, then I will too. Besides, having more healers will always be safer and better for everyone during the mission, right?”

Suddenly, Mercedes’s calm and soft voice was obscured by a loud, high-pitched scraping sound of the chair that accompanied his usual boisterous, vigorous bawl. “Yeah! Let’s go! I want to beat them up real bad!” Caspar, being enthusiastic as he always was, rose his fists into the air before letting out his robust laugh that shook every ear it could reach. With so little distance from the blaster, Linhardt groaned while rolling his dark blue iris into his eyeball, knowing too well how annoying his childhood friend could be. Besides him, Lysithea closed her eyes and ears tight while sending Caspar a glare. If they were not in such a confined room, she might cast a spell or two just to test how much magic power the sky blue hair warrior could handle.

Fortunately, Ferdinand sat fairly close to the Emperor, giving him the advantage to provide his insight with a tad bit more effort in lifting his voice over Caspar’s blast. “As a Prime Minister, it is my duty to guide the Emperor of united Fodlan to the brightest future. Thus, it is impossible that I, Ferdinand von Aegir, will abandon such a significant duty like a coward! And you will be there with us too, right, Bernadette?”

With a bright beam that resembled the sun above suddenly turned to her, the purple hair archer winched in terror only for a beat at the sudden initiation before Bernadetta squeezed out after being quiet for the entitled meeting with eyes filled with resolve and bravado, “Eek!. Ah y-yes! Of course. I will protect Lady Edelgard and Professor!” 

With the war conference suddenly turned into something resembling chaos, a nostalgic scene during their time in the small classroom and the cherished halls emerged into the Emperor’s mind. Despite many years that passed and many battles that they had fought, the Black Eagles class was still the same old rowdy people who cherished each other with care. Something might change in their appearance, their voice, or their thought, but there was always one thing that never changed. For a long while, Edelgard slowly closed her eyes and indulged herself in the love and support she received from her beloved friends she thought she would never have. A deep relationship of the closest thing to a family that she never thought she deserved.

“Thank you...all of you.” 

Edelgard shuttered faintly to herself with a peaceful smile tint with relief that made Byleth could not resist the urge to lift the corner of her lip up. Reaching out her hand to gently hold the crimson gloved one in hers, Byleth’s lip turned into a fond smile, as if she was saying silent words of encouragement, support, and passion. 

_You are not alone, El_. 

The beginning of the new dawn had come, but there was still more to be done. And finally, after the war in the light, it seemed that the silent war in the dark was soon to begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading til the end!  
> I hope that this chapter's not too boring.  
> I tried to include everyone in this scene just so it would be like a small introduction for whom I will include in the story. But the main focus would be the BEgles for sure.  
> Anyhow, my school just started, and so I might need times to adjust my life schedule again. That means the next chapter might be a bit delay than usual.  
> That said, I usually aim for a weekly to weekly-ish update anyway. And I'm too excited to introduce my little OC to you to slow down my writing.  
> Regardless, as always, let me know what you think about this chapter! Kudos and comments are always welcomed. If there's a typo or grammar issue anywhere, then you can point them out too.  
> Thank you!  
> Fun Fact:  
> \- I love the interaction between the Ashen Wolf and the BEgles, but my skills could not handle too many characters all at once. *sob*  
> \- Edelgard is both protective and reasonable and authoritative. I love her.  
> \- Mercedes and Jeritza support is a gem.  
> \- the sisterly vibe between Lysithea and Edelgard is also a GEM.  
> \- Hubert loves all the BEgles and Byleth. He's just really bad at expressing it.  
> \- Morganine Ravine, Boramas, and Rusalka are an actual name from the game's map.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Song Track: The Knight of Rebellion - Fate/Apocrypha OST

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: minor graphic depictions of violence at the end of the chapter.
> 
> Hello everyone,  
> So...turns out I finished this chapter on schedule with even more words count than the previous chapter.  
> Unfortunately, I just could not find the right place to stop, so I kept typing until it's this long....  
> Anyway, there will be 2 parts for this act, so you can expect another gloomy chapter for next week too.  
> But I promise there will be more fluff and stupid stuff coming more after this. 
> 
> Now, enjoy this extra long chapter.

A week had passed since the war council. As Edelgard expected, a few days after they departed from Enbarr, Leonie sent them a letter that informed her about the strange rumor at the south of Boramas. Apparently, the villagers who located near the area reported there were bizarre howls, piercing cry, and peculiar magic aura. The strangest thing, however, was that no matter how many people they sent to investigate the mystery in the dark wood, nobody came back to tell the tale. And so, the Emperor commanded the Black Eagles Strike Force and her personal guards to prepare for the mission immediately. 

On the day the Emperor sent out her order, Byleth precisely knew what she needed to do before they departed for the mission. Dragging Linhardt out of the palace’s library, Byleth took him and the Sword of Creator to the training ground, determining to test her strength and the power of the divine relic. Back when her heart stilled like a stone, this sword was with her on every battlefield she fought. It was the sword that made her feel at ease and completed whenever she used it as if it was her own arms, legs, and spine. They used to move in harmony with one another, dancing together like she and the sword were a soulmate. However, readying in her fighting stance, the second she tried to activate the relic’s power as she used to, waves of tremendous power surged through her, shaking her core. The more the relic turned crimson, the more heat Byleth could feel in her veins. And suddenly, she felt a sharp tug trying to drain something out of her. Her soul, perhaps? Or her life source? The realm of thought was interrupted by the heavy drain of the sword, preventing her from thinking or acting. The sleepy Crest Scholar, seeing his former Professor froze up with her face covered with sweat and lost its color, rushed toward the weapon rack, and grabbed a wooden sword. Sprinting back to Byleth, Linhardt snapped the sword out of her grip with his training sword. The instant that the relic was thrown into the air, Linhardt was beside her. And there was a glow of green light traveling all over her frame from head to toes. Fortunately, after a few moments of rest, Byleth could get on her feet without any major injury. And thus, together with Linhardt, they told Edelgard what happened, making the Emperor’s eyebrows knitted together like a messy thread in skittish Bernadetta’s hands when she was scared. The sight made Byleth felt tight in her chest somehow. In the end, with a firm voice of someone who suited to be the leader, they agreed that Byleth should never use the Sword of Creator again. 

Instead, Edelgard gave her a new sword, a sword that belonged to Seiros in the past. The Sword of Seiros. With a wave-like blade, a delicate guard, lightweight, and great durability, it was an excellent replacement for the Sword of Creator. Besides, as Edelgard said, while the sword was designed to enhance someone with a Crest of Seiros, it did not require the wielder to have one. And thus, Byleth should be able to use it with ease. Since then, most of her preparation was spent in the training ground, trying to familiarize herself with her new companion on the battlefield.

With only a night away from their departure, Byleth’s anxiety grew with every second that passed. It might come from her anticipation of the first mission after she was reborn as a human with a beating heart, she thought. But deep down in her chest, there was something else, some feelings she still could not understand. Laying on their bed, Byleth was occupied by her thoughts and the plain dark ceiling of their bed chamber while waiting for the Emperor to retire for the day. Without long, she heard a cracking sound of the doors being opened and closed gently, followed by the rustle of heavy armor and fabric nearby. Byleth carried herself up from the soft mattress in a sitting position and was greeted with the sight of her lover in the nightgown that covered her whole frame. 

“My love. I’m sorry. Did I just wake you?” Edelgard said with a small frown forming on her thin lip and an apologetic tone.

Shook her head slightly, Byleth replied with a voice that had no hint of sleepiness, “I was waiting for you.” 

Such a simple statement was able to replace the frown with a subtle smile of relief on Edelgard’s face. At the moment when Edelgard reached Byleth’s side on the soft mattress, Byleth pulled her lover in a tight embrace and buried her face in the crook of Edelgard’s neck, eliciting a small yelped from the smaller person. A moment of silence had passed before Edelgard noticed the tighter hold and denser atmosphere that hung around her lover. 

Planting her lip gently on the top of the messy deep blue hair, Edelgard whispered, “What’s wrong, my love?” 

Something shifted in the air as the silence was heavier and went more extended than a moment ago. Knowing that Byleth needed time to gather all her fragments of thoughts before letting them out, Edelgard patiently waited while caressing the dark night sky locks, hoping the actions might soothe the tension in her lover. Eventually, Byleth slowly pulled away from Edelgard while placing her hand on her chest. 

With a somber whisper, Byleth choked out with her eyes that refused to meet the lilac eyes, “I don’t...know why I’m like this. It’s just...I don’t want to let you go, El.”

“Okay...Do you want to talk about it?” 

Edelgard, reached out her hand to gently cup Byleth’s somber face, whispered back with the same volume. She knew that it was always hard for Byleth when it came to emotion ever since her heart started beating. But more often than not, when Byleth faced another wall of unfamiliar feelings, they worked together to cross it. Slowly, but surely. And this time, she would also guide her lover to cross that wall again. And she would do it again forever.

Suddenly, a sorrowful voice hinted with the uncertainty brought Edelgard back to their bed chamber. “I think...I’m scared?”

Lowering her eyebrows in a furrow, Edelgard carefully asked, “What are you afraid of, my love?”

Byleth opened her mouth and closed it several times. Each time she did, her face was contorted into a somber and mournful facade while her hand gripped Edelgard’s warm hands on her cheek tighter. 

“I’m weaker now. I can’t use the Sword of Creator or turn back the time anymore. I’m so weak that I...I might not be able to protect- I’m afraid that I couldn’t protect you, El.” 

Byleth finished pouring out her thoughts with a slightly shaken voice and cobalt eyes that made Edelgard feel like an invisible knife pierced her heart. Before she could find a word to soothe her lover, Byleth interrupted her. 

“And that’s why you were so worried all these times, right? Because I’m weak, and that’s disappointing you.” 

Gently retracted her hands from Byleth’s grab, Edelgard strengthened her posture and used the advantage of her position to look down at the person she adored the most in this world with a sharp and earnest gaze. “Byleth Eisner. It is your name, is it not?”

The sudden change of topic left Byleth with confusion, but she inclined her head down slightly nonetheless. Satisfying with the result, Edelgard continued with a firm voice, “With or without the divine power or the Sword of Creator, you still are Byleth Eisner. Correct?”

Still could not follow what Edelgard tried to say, Byleth nodded again with an increased degree of puzzlement. Pulling Byleth toward her until their foreheads touched each other and their stark hair color mixed with one another, Edelgard looked directly into those wobbling cobalt eyes with a genuine and confident lilac gaze. “Then there is no way I could feel disappointed in you, Byleth Eisner, because I love you as who you are. You, who are the most gentle, kind, beautiful person I’ve ever met.” 

Seeing Byleth’s wide eyes and mouth hanging slightly opened, Edelgard paused a beat to collect her thoughts. She let out a faint chuckle before she continued, “A person who always does something...bizarre, unique, and unexpected, to say the least.” 

With that remark, Byleth’s feature pulled into a small pout that bubbled more giggling from Edelgard. As her chuckle died down, she continued with a softened voice that always lured Byleth into sleep, a voice filled with warmth and adoration, “And I love that about you, my love. I love everything that you are, Byleth Eisner. You are...like a beacon of light in my darkest path. With or without the divine power, nothing could change my trust and my love for you.” 

Closing her eyes to relish herself in the warmth from where their foreheads touched, Edelgard continued her declaration of love with a voice that resembled a whisper, “And to answer your wonder, my light. You will never disappoint me in any way. Nothing could make me see you as anything but an equal. You will always be my light and the love of my life, Byleth.” 

Byleth pierced into the person in front of her who showed nothing but sincerity, adoration, passion, and love. It was that moment when Byleth realized that her love for Edelgard was much the same. No matter how the title of the Emperor would fade through time, how many scars would adore her pale skin, how old she would be, or how weak she would become, she would still love her. Because it’s Edelgard whom she loved, not the Emperor, the revolutionary, or whatever mask she had. She loved Edelgard with all her heart that beat for her, and her alone. Suddenly, another realization emerged in her mind. 

“So...you were worried about me because…”

Edelgard let out a heavy sigh before pushing herself further into Byleth, still disguised her lilac orbs under her eyes’ certain. “It’s just...I know you will be all right. I know there are others who look after your back when I’m not there. But still...I just could not stop this feeling in my heart.” Edelgard revealed her lilac eyes once again, this time, with shaking lights in them. “I lost you so many times now. If something happens to you again, I...I do not think I could stand the pain again.” 

Lifting Byleth’s hand in hers, Edelgard intertwined their hands together tightly, never wishing to let it go. “So, as much as you wished to protect me, I also wished and wanted to protect you too, my light.”

Byleth felt like her flame was reignited in her chest with its heat blazed throughout her frame. With an unwavering gaze, Byleth spoke up firmly while returning a light squeeze where their hands joined. “I won’t go anywhere, El. I’ll be safe and be with you as long as you want me to. Promise.”

“And I promise to always be by your side as long as you choose me, my light,” Edelgard whispered back with a fond smile adorned her face.

Without any more worry and misunderstanding, Byleth pulled Edelgard down gently into a kind, lovely embrace. Eventually, both lovers settled down on the soft mattress, readied to surrender themselves to the cold night breeze under the warmth they shared for each other. Cuddling her lover affectionately on her chest, Byleth rested her chin on the crown of the soft snow-white locks with relaxing Bergamot’s scent that invited the drowsiness. Likewise, listening to Byleth’s soothing heartbeat like a child who was listening to a lullaby, Edelgard soon followed her lover into the realm of dream.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At the dawn of the new day, the citizens of Enbarr gathered together at the central plaza of the busy city, preparing to greet and bid their farewell to the Emperor. The small army and the Black Eagle Strike Force were on the march to escort their Emperor to oversee the recovering process in other territories. 

Or so they thought. 

In truth, it was just a flaw Hubert arranged to cover their real mission and not to alert their real enemy in the dark. Leaving the city with farewell and cheers, the army marched out with a high moral. Upon reaching Morgaine Ravine about a day later, they divided their forces into two divisions as they planned, the scout squad for crossing the ravine and the main force for marching through Rusalka territory. Before parting, the Emperor made sure to have a private moment with her lover. What they shared in such a small moment was a mystery to all but the two of them. Perhaps the clue might be the shade of red on the Emperor’s pale facade and the wide smile on the General Byleth’s face when they finally parted, heading to their assigned route.

Byleth, leaving Edelgard behind, strode toward her squad who were preparing their rides for the clear blue sky. Petra was giving her fierce, yet ever so sweet, Wyvern a snack, hoping to improve its mood before having Caspar on its back in the long journey across the steep ravine. Beside them, Felix was petting Byleth’s Pegasus gently at its muzzle, waiting for its owner patiently. Approaching her partner in the sky and battlefield, Byleth made sure to check on her former students and the flying battalion before she led them into the sky. While they ascended slowly and carefully higher along the hill to preserve their Pegasus’s and Wyvern’s energy, they made sure to get onto the plateau at the top of the hill before the sunset. Fortunately, they made it in time as the sun bid their farewell while the cold night wind replaced the warmth of the day. Byleth decided to camp here for the night after seeing their mounts drained from the weight of the humans and supplies they had carried for the whole day. With only a few lives in the squad, it was not difficult to find a great place for them to lay their back and take shelter from the cold breeze. 

After tending her Pegasus for its labor, Byleth was on her way back to her tent when she heard a relaxed chatter between her former students near the bonfire. Deciding to join the fray, Byleth approached the group with a nonchalant pace just in time when she heard Caspar exclaim enthusiastically to Petra, “Hey Petra, you seemed to enjoy the ride up here a lot, huh?” 

Looking up from the warmth of the small bonfire in front of her, Petra answered back with equal enthusiasm and a warm smile, “I am enjoying the ride greatly, Caspar. The wind was very nice. The smell is also nice! It has differences, but it also has similarities to the wind and smell in Brigid.”

Quirking his brows higher in curiosity, Caspar pushed Petra further on the topic. “Really? How so?” 

The future Queen of Brigid twitched her face into a more pensive expression, just like she always did when she tried to find the right words to speak her mind from the foreign language. As if finally found the words she was looking for, Petra looked up into the starry night sky with a nostalgic expression while immersing herself in the gentle whistling wind that passed by. 

“I think it is because of the smell of the fish, the forest, and the sea. In Brigid, we live among the sea and forest and animals.”

“Boramas is near the sea, and it’s a territory that has fewer settlements than others. I guess that’s why the area is rich in plants and animals. No wonder why you seemed to enjoy it so much.” 

Byleth announced herself by continuing the conversation between her comrades. Placing herself on the mellow grass beside Petra, Byleth connected the converse with the story about Brigid she heard from the day as a mercenary. Always eager to talk about her homeland, Petra lively engaged in their late-night campfire with Caspar as a great catalyst to drive the converse. From time to time, Felix would look up from his sword in hands where he sharpened it and tentatively listen to the future Queen of Brigid and his brawler friend conversing about the different fighting styles. It was always a sight that made Byleth feel warm inside, chatting nonchalantly as if tomorrow, they were going to have a peaceful teatime together instead of marching right into the enemy’s potential hideouts. 

The moon and its starry night had come and passed, and now the sun and its clear horizon greeted the squad once again. With their mounts fully fed and rested, they were ready to deliver their trusted owners again to the foothills on the other side. Descending with less degree of labors compared to the day before, the small squad arrived at the grassy ground of Boramas safely. They took a short rest to prepare their weapons before continuing their journey to the south of the territory, where the report indicated an odd occurrence. As Byleth began to grab a glimpse of their destination, she signaled the squad to start descending on the ground again, dismounting from their flying friends. Since they needed to find some safe place for their camp while waiting for the main force, Byleth ordered the battalion to be responsible for the task while the Strike Force and she would inspect the areas surrounding the location in their reports. Since it would only be about two days before the main force arrived, it was essential to gather as much information regarding the enemy’s nest as possible. 

Pacing on foot carefully and inconspicuously across the prairie, Byleth, Petra, Caspar, and Felix finally approached the destination where they were greeted with a gloomy, dense forest. At a glance, it seemed that the forest stretched its territory everywhere Byleth placed her eyes on. Fortunately, the weather seemed to be in their favor since there was no sign of mist nor rain, and an adequate amount of light shone through the trees. While Byleth contemplatively occupied by her observation of the surroundings, Caspar’s inquisitive voice emerged from behind her. 

“This must be where the rumors in Leonie’s report started, right? Should we go ahead to investigate, Professor?” 

Turning back to see both Petra and Felix were placing their hands on their weapons, Byleth considered if they should really continue forward into the forest and investigate with just the four of them now. For sure, with a thick volume of trees and bushes, such power of nature might post worrisome obstructions for both their squad and the main force when marching in. And so, it should be strategically wise for them to locate the exact location of their enemy’s nest in advance. However, in the case where one or more of them fell into the enemy’s traps, hidden among the tall shrubs, or where the enemy noticed them, she was not sure if only four of them could retreat safely. And thus, it might be better and safer for them to reunite with the battalions and their mounts so that they could survey the area from the sky. Byleth debated between two choices inwardly for a moment before she decided that she wanted to involve the lowest risk as much as possible, especially when she was no longer blessed by the goddess’s power. 

“No. It’s too risky. We will look around for now, but we won’t go inside.” 

Byleth let out her order with a pensive face, only feeling satisfied when seeing her squad nodded in acknowledgment. And thus, they walked around the edge of the forest and prairie to inspect the area from afar before Petra abruptly stopped while shifting her head up into the sky with eyes closed and nose twitching. The sudden peculiar behavior drew the squad to stop in their tracks, looking at the princess with bewilderment. The moment Petra’s face contorted into something closed to hostility, the squad turned their eyes outward to the surroundings, shifting their backs closed to each other with hands ready on their weapons.

“Petra, what happened?” Byleth asked quietly without taking her eyes off the forefront.

“It’s the smell. I smelled blood. Lots of blood, Professor,” Petra spoke up carefully with a hint of pain. 

She was enjoying the scent of the ocean that resembled her homeland ever since they entered this territory, and suddenly, that pleasant scent twisted into another that smelled like war. Something Byleth knew none of them would prefer. So Byleth felt terrible for her friend inwardly before she heard Felix’s annoyed voice came from behind her.

“Blood, huh? It seems like troubles find us before we find them. Which way the smell came from?”

Byleth heard a pause accompanied by rustles of the grass underneath them, guessing that they were a result of Petra’s swiftly shifting left and right to locate the source of the unpleasant smell. An intense beat later, the rustles stopped and were replaced by Petra’s stiff voice. 

“It came from the forest.” 

Without looking at one another, Byleth knew that all of their eyes were peering through the dark forest with tense shoulders. Caspar, who could handle the intensity no more, asked his commander with a restless voice, “What now, Professor?”

Hearing her heart thundered against her rib cage, Byleth considered nervously what her next step should be. If there was a scent of blood strong enough to drift along with the wind, then it meant there was a battle nearby with several severe injuries. Or corpses. But why? Perhaps Those Who Slither in the Dark was fighting something? Their untamed Demonic Beasts? A rebellion? Innocent people? Before Byleth could finish her analysis on the situation, Caspar darted out from his position, going directly toward the dark forest with a resolved face. 

“I’m going in. If those bastards are killing people right now, then I have to stop them!”

Without thinking, Byleth snagged Caspar by his arm, stopping him on his track. Seeing there was no way to stop this reckless brawler, Byleth sighed inwardly before turning to the rest of the squad with a calm face. “Petra, you lead the way. Focus on following the scent. Felix, you take care of the rear. Be aware of any ambush. Caspar. You and I will position at each side of Petra’s flank, tracking down any possible traps and enemies. When the enemies are in sight, stay in position until I say so.”

After Byleth received firm nods from everyone, she beckoned Petra to take the lead and began creeping into the dark, dense forest with utmost caution. Within the heavy silence that hung over them, the only sound Byleth heard was her own heartbeat that was howling inside her chest. It was a different sensation from when the small muscle in her chest beat furiously upon colliding her lip with Edelgard or looking at Edelgard's shiny skin under the nightgown. This howling under her rib cage was something unpleasant, annoying, and distracting. Perhaps she was not used to her new heart after all. While the squad slowly slipped through the trees in formation, Byleth tried to calm her heart down while paying her focus on the surroundings. Eventually, a few moments that feel like an eternity, they caught a glimpse of a small cave embedded into a small hill, hidden well among the crowded trees and overgrown plants. As they crawled closer, they finally discovered the source of the unpleasant scent. In front of the cave entrance, about a dozen bodies were scattering around lifelessly with a sprinkle of red fluid spattered around them. Each of the body seemed to dress in similar manners, long dark robe, pointed shaped hood, and a mask with a beak-liked shaped nose and hollowed eyes window. A typical costume for servants of Those Who Slither in the Dark, Byleth took notes. As the squad stopped, waiting, each of them glanced around to find any survivors or enemy’s reinforcements with wary eyes and weapons in hands. A few moments passed with no additional movement they could detect, Byleth turned to the group, gesturing them to keep quiet while she would inspect the body. Gradually emerging herself from the bushes they were hiding, Byleth steadily approached and knelt beside the closet lifeless body. Upon a closer look, she could see that the lesions on the physique were executed with a moderate amount of precision. Each of the wounds seemed to aim at the person’s lethal part with a small sharp weapon. A sign of an executor who knew how to execute, she analyzed. Moving toward other bodies nearby, it was clear that these were a work of a human. 

Turning back to the waiting squad with quick but quiet footsteps, Byleth calmly relayed her observation to the group before she ordered Petra to get back to her Wyvern and report the Emperor about their potential problems. After the princess of Brigid was out of their sights, Byleth gestured for Felix and Caspar to investigate inside the mysterious cave. Getting into the similar formation where Felix remained at the rear, Caspar in the middle, and Byleth took the lead, they entered the mouth of the cave with focused eyes and tense shoulders. With their eyes already adjusted to the change of light within the cave, they could see that more bodies were laying along the slope that led into a darker, deeper part of the cave. Descending through the path with dimmer light in every step they took, they were finally greeted with a broken metallic door that lousily and dangerously hanged on its hinge. The awful scent of blood and flesh was carried out through the busted door by the cold whistling wind, making the three of them shivered involuntarily. 

Caspar and Felix exchanged nods between each other, know what they should do next. While both of them stepped forward to stand in front of the darkness’s entrance, Byleth prepared to cast fire on her hand. Steeling themselves while inhaling and holding their breaths in unison, Caspar and Felix bolted through the opened gate with Byleth followed closed. With their back facing the others, Caspar and Felix prepared for the incoming attack on the left and right side at the same time when Byleth cast a big fireball that momentarily lit up the whole room, revealing another swarm of lifeless bodies scattering on the hard bloody brick floor. With another second passed and a few more steps into the dark, gloomy room, they finally relaxed their tense bodies, figuring their enemy either ran away or laid motionless on the floor. 

“Ugh! The smell is awful. What happened here exactly? Are you sure this is the work of a human, Professor?” Caspar was the first one who lost his tolerance of the dreadful scent circulated in the confined place and blurted out his disgusted voice with a distorted face. 

“A human or humans, Caspar. And to answer what happened, let’s walk around and see if we can find anything,” Byleth responded calmly with a stoical face as if she was not affected by the musty scent while, at the same time, lit up the sconce nearest to her reach. 

The action somehow activated some magic mechanism that ignited other sconces in the room, revealing a high ceiling that made the place look more akin to an underground chamber than just a room. With more visibility, Caspar and Felix began searching around for any useful clues while Byleth knelt to take a closer look at the bodies. It was odd, she thought. The bodies that laid inside this room seemed to have too many random wounds compared to the bodies they found at the cave entrance. It was like the attacker did not know how to use the weapon, such a notably different pattern. Giving a glance around the area, she thought the attacker might be overwhelmed by the higher numbers of Those Who Slither in here than the outside, or there could be more than one attacker. If it was a group attacker, then it would be a very troublesome problem that might make Hubert develop a migraine. Before Byleth could move on to investigate the surrounding, Caspar’s deep, resonant voice called out to her from the door on the right side of the chamber.

“Professor! Look! I found something!”

Straightening up on her feet, Byleth approached the room curiously. Upon a glance, this room was a much smaller room than the previous one, albeit with a similar high ceiling. On the left side where Caspar was, there was a podium with various levers attached to it. At the center, there was a pool of dried black fluid randomly splashed on the dark brick floor, filling the room with a smell of copper and death. A hopeless death that was soothed by the only pillar of light shone through a cracked wall above. With a dimmer light in the room, it was a tad bit more difficult for Byleth to see things clearly. And so, she walked closer to the center of the room to the pillar of light, seeing more crumbles of stones scattered around the floor with the stains of dried black mud on their surface as if they had immersed in the black sludge in the past. Besides the stains on the floor and the podium near the entrance, there was nothing more in the room. When Byleth was about to see what Caspar was doing, she heard a cracking and humming sound resonating within the room as if some mechanisms were activated. Before she could think what it was, a rock pillar swung pass her face with a piercing wind, making Byleth bounce back purely on instinct. However, as she tried to get back on her feet, a second pillar was soaring through the wind with her legs as its aim. With her whole body was sent into an alert state, she mustered all of her strength to spring herself out of the range. Byleth rolled backward until she was out of the range of the two destructive pillars with a narrowed breath. 

When her adrenaline went back down, and her focal focus was wider to take in her surrounding again, she saw Caspar at the podium, one hand rested heavily on a lever, another hand hanged nervously at his side, and his face distorted into something of a mix between surprise, regret, and fear. Feeling that his former Professor was sending him a hard glare, Caspar frantically lifted the lever to its original place, making the big pillars hang still at the center of the room. Still feeling the hard stare from his former Professor, albeit closer, Caspar abruptly turned to face Byleth, who was approaching him through the gap between the pillars with a sword in her hand. 

“Uh...I’m sorry, Professor. I was...just curious.” The blue sky hair man squeaked out an apology with a nervous laugh while panicky taking his hands off the podium.

With the man seemingly learning his lesson, Byleth turned back to investigate the stilled pillars. On the pillars, there seemed to have even more dried black stains all over. Most were shaped like a typical splashed fluid, but a few had a shape similar to a hand or a knuckle. Some had a cracked surface with a small dip and black mud at the center. They were strange, and if she accounted for the incident a second ago…

Turning back to Caspar, Byleth announced, “Caspar, let’s see what else that thing on the podium could do.” 

“Um, are you sure? I mean-I just-, you know?” Stammered hard, Caspar asked with hesitation. 

But there was no answer from Byleth. Instead, she simply walked closer to stand beside him and the podium while facing the center, waiting for the show. And started the show he did. Caspar pulled each lever up and down, left and right, while Byleth quietly observed. They experimented with it for a while before Caspar voiced his own observation with hesitation. 

“You know….somehow I think this is like a training ground.”

Seeing Byleth tilted her head in question, he continued with a mixed tone of hesitation and confusion. “I don’t know. It’s just... they have this control, right? And those pillars are like a dummy I trained with. And my gut feeling said, ‘this is definitely a training ground!’ like that.”

From the first day that Byleth knew Caspar, he was a man who always followed his instinct. As a front-line brawler, it was important for the person to be able to decide within a mere split second, amplifying the significance of pure instinct. And it was that instinct that kept Caspar safe until now. Also, if a person who spent most of his day in the training ground said that this place was a training ground with his guts feeling, then it was believable no matter how bizarre the idea could be. Regardless, as long as this room was proved to be safe for them to continue investigating this underground hideout, then it was good. Not long after Byleth concluded her thought, Felix’s solemn voice reached her ears.

“Hey, Professor. You should see this.”

Despite internally feeling anxious at the sight of Felix’s oddly contorted expression, Byleth followed Felix further down the hallway at the far end of the chamber, followed closed by Caspar. Walking passed the dull black hallway into a smaller room, Byleth suddenly forgot how to breathe in all these stenches. In front of her in the deepest part of the underground devil nest, she was witnessing a nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading again!  
> I hope you still enjoy it so far. Again, I promise you the light stuff will come after the intense one. lol  
> I really wished I could write faster and spend less time thinking about the vocabulary and everything. *sigh*  
> Regardless, as always, let me know what you think about this chapter! Kudos and comments are always welcomed. If there's a typo or grammar issue anywhere, please let me know.
> 
> Take care and stay safe out there, everyone.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Song Track: Torches - Aimer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: graphic depictions of violence throughout the chapter.  
> If this is not your cup of tea, then I recommend you to skip to the very end of the chapter like about the last 5 paragraphs. 
> 
> Hi everyone!  
> I'm sorry to tell you that the same excuses from the previous chapter still valid for this one too.  
> I just wanted to finish this act within 2 parts, but then I got carried away for the fighting sequences.  
> So here I am, with the longest chapter so far.....  
> This chapter will be heavier than the last, so feel free to skip it to the very end because I know some of you might be here just for the fluff (which is coming up soon....I hope)  
> Oh and I updated some tags too. Please look at them. I'll add more as the story goes but these are pretty much everything I had in mind right now.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter nonetheless.

After she got a message from Petra, Edelgard advanced her troop to get to the south of Boramas as early as possible. And thus, she arrived at the destination earlier than they planned to. Upon arrival in the camp set up by the scout squad, Edelgard immediately requested to see the situation within their enemy’s hideout. Thus, striding swiftly through the thick forest with Petra as a lead, Edelgard and the Strike Force were greeted with the rest of the scout team at the front of the cave entrance. The Emperor attentively approached Byleth with a few cautious steps for the lifeless bodies on the plain ground. With a subtle smile that seemed to be stained with unknown unease, Byleth slowly approached Edelgard half-way to wrap her solid arms around the smaller Emperor while whispering her mind to the pink ear.

“I miss you, El.”

Despite the urge to wallow in the warm embrace longer, Edelgard reluctantly pushed herself away from Byleth enough to look up at her with a hint of pick adorned her delicate face and soft ears.

“I miss you too, my love, but I’m afraid we have another urgent matter to attend to.” Edelgard said while trailing her lilac eyes toward the cave behind Byleth.

Hesitantly pried herself away from the Emperor with a small frown on her face, Byleth turned her head slightly to peer at the dark cave behind her with eyes filled with restlessness. A beat of silence passed under the puzzled lilac orbs, Byleth finally let out a sigh through her nose before meeting the Emperor and the rest of the Strike Force once again to begin her report of the underground cave. As always, Byleth minimized the details and only told them what they needed to know: the bodies, the dark room with pillars, the main hall. However, as she finished her report, Edelgard noticed that the cobalt pairs nervously peered toward the taller retainer beside her as if she wanted to discuss something further, but she would discuss it with Hubert alone. The sight made Edelgard’s chest felt tight somehow. It was not unusual for Byleth and Hubert to discuss things in private because, often time, it was about her own safety, both mentally and physically. And she respected their decision. She always did. However, this was not the time for the Emperor to stand down. This hideout could provide them with potential leads to the real headquarters of her enemy in the dark, meaning that there was no way she could sit still and wait for others to feed her information. 

Thus, with a stern and pensive face, the Emperor exchanged a look with her retainer briefly before she started to move forward toward the cave. But before she could take a full step forward, A white collar and a big medallion on the chest came into her view, followed by a calm voice hinted with substantial weight.

“Wait. Where are you going?”

Looking up to meet the wavering cobalt eyes and the thin tight lip, Edelgard only tilted her head slightly to the side as if what she was going to do a second ago should be obvious. Before she could say anything, she heard her retainer took a steady step closer to her.

“Do not misunderstand, Professor. I do believe your investigation is valid. But I predicted that you just do not know where to look or what to look for. These groups are very capable of hiding their secret from the naked eys. As someone who spent considerably a long time trying to learn their technology and tricks, I would say it is more appropriate for Her Majesty and me to look for their hidden secrets that you might have missed.” Hubert, standing tall behind his lady, commented solemnly.

Nodding along with her retainer, Edelgard turned back to Byleth with a reassuring gaze. “Hubert is right, Byleth. We know them for far too long, so I can at least say that we could potentially predict their moves better than anyone here, including you. Thus, it should be us to go down there to find more clues on what they are up to.”

After Edelgard finished her persuasion, she saw Byleth sent another gaze toward Hubert. This time, her gaze was heavy in worry and silent plead. However, before the two of them could read one another, Edelgard took an initiative to move forward. 

As the Emperor started walking pass her, Byleth turned on her heel and quickly, gently grabbed the smaller women’s forearm before asking with an uneasy voice and a slight frown, “Edelgard...you don’t have to go down there, you know?”

Edelgard turned back to give her an inquisitive look once again before she replied solemnly, “Do not worry, Byleth. I will be fine. Like I said, as an Emperor, I have to see this with my own eyes.”

Behind Byleth, as if realizing what his former Professor silently asked, Hubert’s face shifted slightly before moving to stand beside Byleth. “Your Majesty, if Professor insisted, then perhaps she might be right. Besides, having me there would be efficient enough. So I asked if you could reconsider to wait here with her.”

After he finished, Hubert bent down, bowing his head in respect to ask his lady to reconsider. However, it seemed that his request was futile as his Emperor sent him a hard glare. When her retainer knew to back down, Edelgard turned back to her lover, sending a gaze heavy in determination mixed with stubbornness. After spending so many times together as a student and as an equal companion, it was not a surprise for Byleth to know that when the Emperor had her eyes on something, she would get it even if she had to scarify a part of herself. And so, Byleth shifted her serene cobalt eyes to meet directly with the adamant lilac eyes for a moment before the older women finally accepted her defeat with a sigh.

“Alright. I’ll lead you the way then.” Byleth said quietly while retracting her hand and taking the lead.

Before the Emperor followed her, however, she gave a task to the Strike Force to take care of the bodies lying around while Hubert requested to have Dorothea and Linhardt accompanied them inside. When Edelgard was about to enter the cave, she spotted Byleth peered back at her with the same concerned eyes. She could not help but wonder inwardly why her lover seemed to be so wary about her getting into the underground cave. If she had to guess, it might be about her nightmare. But her sleep had gotten better ever since she slept with Byleth, nuzzling in those solid arms of hers. Perhaps Byleth thought going into Those Who Slither’s property would trigger her nightmare? Regardless, she eventually had to face and overcome her fear one day, and today could just be that very day.

Without long, Byleth had led them into a chamber with dark brick wall and floor with lifeless bodies as a peculiar decor. While Edelgard observed the eerie chamber, she started to feel a whirlwind of something formed inside her stomach. Before she could name it correctly, Hubert’s sound from one corner of the chamber redirected her attention to the present. 

“Dorothea, Linhardt. Come here a second?”

As Dorothea and Linhardt walked over to him with a carious face, Edelgard watched them from afar, knowing full well what the bizarre circle pattern under Hubert’s feet was. 

“What is that about?”

A perplexed voice emerged from the vacant place beside Edelgard. Without even looking at her lover’s face, she knew that Byleth must have no idea what Hubert and the Strike Force mages were doing on that light green platform with a strange scribble on it. 

And so, she answered the question plainly, “That is a transportation device that Those Who Slither invented. It looked drastically different from the spell we used to. And that’s why you might not notice it was there before. If we let it operates as it is, there’s a chance of another reinforcement. And so, Hubert is trying to deactivate it right now.” As she heard Byleth hummed in acknowledgment, Edelgard continued while peeking at Byleth with the corner of her eyes. “It should take them a while before they can deactivate it. We should move and investigate deeper down the hall.” 

After she voiced her suggestion, Edelgard saw Byleth’s carious face turned into a pensive expression before she looked to face her in the eyes. “It’s alright. We can wait. Besides, I’m curious about how they deactivate the device myself.” 

Edelgard slightly inclined her head in return. Byleth always eager to learn new skills, especially if those skills could benefit any member of the Strike Force. And so, Edelgard assumed that she just wanted to learn about the spell used for deactivating the device with the same purpose. However, as they waited for the mages to finish, Edelgard noticed that Byleth secretly sent her concerned eyes again and again. Byleth had never been this...annoying before. Such a peculiar behavior finally got under Edelgard’s skin a tad bit. And so, wishing to know what was on her lover’s mind, Edelgard was about to open her mouth and ask. But Hubert, who just finished deactivating the transporter, came and interrupted her. While he informed her that Dorothea had to get Linhardt out because he could not bear the sight of blood and its scent anymore, Byleth regained her composure and the stoic facade again. As Byleth continued her task to lead them, Edelgard had no choice but to subside her suspicion and, instead, pay attention to the task in front of her. She could ask Byleth afterward anyway.

After Byleth led them through all the rooms she found with the scout squad; finally, they arrived in front of the plain dark hallway that seemed to lead them deeper down into the earth. As they walked through it, Edelgard suddenly felt like the whirlwind of something had formed again inside her. As she stepped deeper down into the void, the whirlwind got more vigorous. It made her abdomen brutally clenched, and her mind dreadfully dazed. The wind was sharp, and the scent it carried was disgusting.

Before Edelgard drowned in those dangerous trails of thought, she was brought back to the underground hallway with a light squeeze on her shoulders. Looking up slowly with sweat adorning her forehead, Edelgard met the impassive, yet perceptive, eyes that reflected well with the dimmed light as if they were a torch that light her way back into the safe place. Uncertain if her voice could be comprehensive, Edelgard inclined her head to show that she was alright instead, prompting a subtle smile on the navy blue hair women. However, that smile was soon replaced with a thin line again after Byleth peered back over her shoulder. Her face contorted into a conflicted expression as if she was debating over something in her head. After Byleth bit her lower lip so hard that Edelgard was afraid she would bleed, Byleth turned back to her with a slight frown and grim eyes. 

“Edelgard, I have something to tell you.” Byleth paused a bit as if she still could not conclude the conflict inside her head before she continued again with steadier eyes. “At the end of this hallway, there was a room that...you might not want to see.” 

Quirking her brows up in confusion, Edelgard could not comprehend what Byleth had to tell her, so she kept quiet and waited for elaboration. And Byleth continued a beat later, “That room...I’m not sure if they actually used it for the same purpose or how long they have been using it, but from a glance, I think they used that room for...for Crest experimenting…”

In that instant, the time seemed to stop. The room went quiet. And her body went numb. 

“What?”

Byleth repeated her statement with a great agony evidenced on her face, “They used that room for experimenting Crest on people, El.”

_No._

_Oh no._

Such a thought echoed in a loop within Edelgard’s mind as she hastily dashed passed Byleth and the dull hallway to the deepest part of the underground chamber. The moment she arrived in that room, her mind went blank. Somehow, the room before her seemed to be a replica of her nightmares. And she was frozen on the spot. Her soft skin under the tough armor went paler for a shade or two while the whirlwind inside suddenly made her nausea. 

_Where am I? In the nightmares?_

In front of Edelgard, what she was seeing was a cold hard long table that lifted in the air by the thick column with various sizes of metallic rings attached to it, setting at the center of the small dungeon. Several sharp tools she used to feel them with her small body scattered around the floor and the counter near the stained table. On the surface of every object, she could see a stain with a dark red fluid that could be mistaken for a dried mud. But in her mind eyes, those pool of dried mud turned into a puddle of bloody crimson goo that covered the whole table, dripping along with its frame onto the dark floor below. A table that locked her up in places. To cut her open. To close her up. To test her body. Manipulate her body and her mind. Manipulate her Crest.

Feeling overwhelmed, Edelgard turned away from the surgical table that soaked with dried black dirt in the hope of ceasing the whirlpool in her stomach and the knife in her chest. Her lilac eyes landed on the rusted, broken bars not far from the table. The bars were busted and twisted open as if a spell blasted them. A spell that left a colossal circle hole on the black brick wall behind that was akin to the shape of the moon appeared in the night sky. On the floor, there were fragments of metallic balls and chains. Some were scattered around in pieces, and some were still intact, attached to the small thin silhouettes. The small figures that were painted in white and mud laid among a few bodies that were dressed oppositely in a dark robe. She blinked, and then she saw a remnant of her siblings. Their lifeless youthful face. Their immature scarred body. Their new white hair. 

_“Help” “Liar”_

_“Stop” “Traitor”_

_“Please” “Failure”_

_“El. You change nothing.”_

Suddenly, there was a flash, and the only thing she saw was a stained black brick floor, not those soaked table, and rusted bars anymore. She felt her knees weaken, her whole existence shaken. She heard muffled voices over her, but she could not understand them. Their voice could not reach her. The only voice that could reach her, however, was a familiar voice she used to hear every time she closed her eyes. The call for help. The plea for life. The screams. The desperate screams. 

A nightmare became a reality. Or was it real after all? She did not know anymore. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“El!”

After seeing Edelgard rushed passed her with a dreadful face, Byleth sprinted out and followed her behind, trying to catch her. But she was too late. Edelgard was already in that room. That cursed dungeon. As she heard Hubert’s hurried steps echoed closer behind her, she slowly approached Edelgard in front of her, who stood frozen near the doorway. From behind, she could see that Edelgard was shaking with a stiff body while breathing painfully as a result of something else rather than the dash. Lowering her gaze a bit, she saw the crimson gloves curled up tightly into knuckles that, Byleth thought, could have penetrated through the fabric and pricked the pale skin underneath. Byleth took a wary step closer to Edelgard while reaching out her hand toward the shaken knuckle. She wanted to hold those hands into hers gently to soothe her lover. To let her know that she was with her. But when Byleth’s hand was only an inch away from the red glove, all of a sudden, Edelgard’s whole body shifted with a painful groan. The second that Edelgard’s body bent down to expose her matters in her stomach out on the gloomy muddy floor, Byleth was at her side. 

“Lady Edelgard! Are you alright? What happe-” 

While Byleth was supporting Edelgard’s weight to sit right up and calling out to her with an alarmed voice, Hubert was occupied by the sight of the room. The sight that left the usually-well-mannered retainer with curses and disgruntled tsk. Before the fire in him could evolve further, Byleth’s dire, yet collected voice reached his ears.

“I’m getting her out.”

Without waiting for her statement sink into Hubert, Byleth gently but quickly moved Edelgard’s arm over her neck while placing her own arms behind the back and under the bend of Edelgard’s knees. Without missing a beat, Byleht lifted Edelgard as she kept her body close to her as much as possible before carrying her out of the dark underground place with the highest speed she could muster. She knew Edelgard would get furious when she saw that dungeon. She knew Edelgard would be devastating when she knew Those Who Slither continued their wicked experiment under her nose. She knew Edelgard would be reminded of those nightmares that had haunted her for more than half of her life. She knew it, but she let her go. It was her fault. And so, she kept running to bring her lover out of this place as soon as possible. Even when Byleth arrived at the cave entrance, she did not stop, ignoring all the Strike Force who looked at her and the smaller person in her arms with a concerned look. Byleth sprinted past them to get into the discreet area near the forest where it was safe from the public eye. Delicately lowering herself on her knees, Byleth rested Edelgard down onto her lap as she held her closer with one hand stroked with the snow-white locks, and the other warped around her torso. 

“It’s okay. You’re safe. I’m here. I’m always here, El. Stay with me.” Byleth cooed in Edelgard’s ear while rocking her back and forth, hoping the gentle sway would ease the pain her lover was suffering.

Showering her tender kisses on her crown, temple, and face, Byleth hoped that the warmth of her lip and body would bring Edelgard back to her. As she kept soothing, the shaken and stiff body in her arms slowly subsided. After a long moment, sweet kisses, and loving words, the smaller women faintly nestled her head closer into the crook of Byleth’s neck and returned the tight embrace with a weaker one of her own. The harder the grip, the smaller the women in her arms seemed to be. The sight of her lover shrank down into her like this made Byleth’s heart screamed in agony as if a sharp knife pierced through it. But the feeling of Edelgard’s hard grip on her back was the only indicator that her lover heard her voice. And so, crouching down to curl further protectively around her, Byleth hoped and wished that her tight embrace and her throbbing heart would keep the smaller women to stay at present and not the past. 

They stayed close to each other for a long time as if they would never run out of stamina to hold the other close. The stilled silence stretched out over them for how many hours Byleth did not care to count, nor she cared the scent of the waste Edelgard left on their armor. Eventually, the smaller women spoke out weakly with a ragged edge, no trail of the Emperor’s mask left in the voice.

“I’m sorry. I- your clothes...”

“Shhhh. It’s okay, El. I don’t mind. I just want you safe. How are you feeling?” Byleth spoke softly into the snow-white locks with a worry mixed with a relief evidenced on her face. 

“...horrible.”

Byleth nodded.

“...and stinky.”

Byleth let out a small breathless laugh at the unexpected, albeit welcomed, comment before she planted a light kiss on the crown of Edelgard’s head. “So how about we get back to our camp and change our clothes? And get you something to drink?” With that, Edelgard gave a small nod, prompting a subtle relieved smile to appeare on Byleth’s face.

Unfortunately, it seemed like the responsibility as the Emperor did not know the appropriate time to come as Byleth saw Hubert lurking behind her with an impassive facade, a mask he put on whenever there was news he had to deliver despite his loathing. 

“Your Majesty, Professor. I deeply apologize for my interruption, but there is a matter that requires your presence right now.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few moments later, when Edelgard regained her strength and composure back, the three of them proceed through the forest to get to their tent. With help from Hubert, they could creep past the soldiers without anyone noticed. While Byleth and Edelgard were making themselves more presentable to the public eye, Hubert informed them of the sudden matter they just received a while ago. Apparently, the citizens from the nearby small village had asked the army for assistance to deal with the group of bandit near their town. They said that they just heard screams from the bandit hideout, but they were too afraid to investigate the peculiar sound. According to Hubert, he predicted that this event might relate to the ruined hideout and the culprit who wipe out Those Who Slither minions. 

And so, here they were, standing not far from the bandit’s worn-out hut. Byleth was standing beside the Emperor while overlooking at the big wooden cabin with a pensive expression. Eventually, she suggested that they only needed the scout squad with a few more members to deal with the bandit inside. Thus, Dorothea, Bernadetta, and the scout squad started to advance inside the big hut while the rest of the Strike Force and a few battalions, including the Emperor, would stand guard outside in case the bandits decided to flee.

As Byleth stepped into the little passageway connected to the central dome inside, the breeze blew out chilly, carrying the scent of familiar copper mixed with the smell of old wood to reach her nostril. As the squad vigilantly walked through the passageway, they noticed a rack of weapons and some iron weapons leaned on the wooden wall with a few supplies and boxes laid disorganizedly, nothing out of the ordinary. However, as they approached the dimmed central dome, Byleth beckoned the team to stop. As she squinted her eyes to see better under the dim light, she could make out the lifeless bodies of, presumably, the bandits laid throughout the center of the dome. When she stepped closer, there was a small movement among the pile of bodies. While Byleth and the team prepared themselves in fighting stance, the small silhouette slowly turned to their direction. When it fully faced Byleth, the emotionless amethyst eyes that seemed to grow bright in the dim light looked straight into the calm cobalt eyes. In silence, Byleth was trying to read the mysterious, yet familiar amethyst orbs. Suddenly, she heard the squad moved into a position with Caspar and Felix stood in front of her, which was at the same time when the small silhouette with amethyst eyes seemed to be startled by the movement, sending the shadow sprinted toward them, or rather, toward the only exit. 

“Incoming!” Byleth shouted out for her team to prepare for the impact, urging them to take up their guard in an instant. 

The spark of the conflicting metal weapons soon followed her warning, mixing with a sound of Caspar’s groan. The first clashing spark went on briefly before two, three, and four flashes followed at a rapid rate, sending Caspar who was forced to take a defensive stance backed a few steps. Being the closest two to the brawler, Felix and Byleth went in to intervene in the one-sided combat with a few swings that sent the smaller opponent jumped back into the dim light. A mere second later, however, the narrowed amethyst eyes immediately launched toward them again, but this time, those eyes passed them with full speed, going straight for the entrance. The unexpected quick action prompted a few yelps from the purple hair archer and the brunette songstress, who were taken out of the amethyst eyes’ track by the princess of Brigid. While some of the squad let out a chagrin and some let out a surprise, Byleth was occupied by the figure that just dashed past them. Gnashing her teeth in realization, Byleth sprinted out toward the entrance as fast as her legs could carry her. 

Back at the front of the hut entrance, the troop was in their fighting stance as soon as they heard the first clashing sound from inside. As more clashing blow emerged, the more anticipation they had. A short silence passed while the Emperor’s eyes fixated on the entrance. Without any warning sigh, a small figure emerged from the shadow, running toward the closest and smallest figure in front of the heavily armored soldiers. Edelgard, seeing the potential bandit was approaching her, took a step forward, and held up her tower shield in the hope of stopping the mysterious figure. Although Edelgard steeled herself to receive the impact, it never came. Instead, she felt a light thud and patter before she saw the same figure jumped off the top of the shield and soared through the sky.

At that moment, Edelgard felt like the flow of time was frozen again for the second time on that day. With the small shadow came out fully into the sunlight, the too-familiar snow-white hair and the severe scars under the ripped bloody smock and shackles came into her view. As if the Goddess was trying to punish her, Edelgard flashed back to the little girl in the mirror. The girl whose light brown locks turned into pale white hair while her soft pink skin turned pale white and coarse with scars. The girl whose freedom was taken by the heavy metal chains around her ankles, wrists, and neck. The girl whose body was sunken into the pool of blood of her siblings.

Suddenly, a dull thud and a clattering sound of the chains behind her brought her back from the past. Turning on her heels, Edelgard saw the small figure, the _child_ , sprinted off toward the soldiers behind the Emperor as soon as the little feet touched the ground as if trying desperately to escape. 

“Do not let that child escape! Catch her!”

The second that the Emperor shouted out an order with a stern voice, the heavy armor knights started forming a barrier with their shields while the infantry units advanced to charge in with sheathed swords. However, the kid swiftly dodged any attempts to catch her as if it was her second nature, rousing the soldiers to lose their tempers. Eventually, one soldier just had enough. And so he unsheathed his sword and held it high up, preparing to take a blow. 

“Stop!” 

Unfortunately, even the harsh voice of the Emperor could not stop the sword in the middle of its strike. Watching in slow motion, Edelgard saw the sharp sword that aimed for the kid’s shoulder slowly made its way down vertically and missed its target. However, something shifted in the air around that child. As the second that the sword cut off the strand of white locks from her long shaggy hair, the child flicked a dulled dagger in her hand to pierce through the man’s knee. As the man cursed in pain and crouched down on one knee, the child used this opportunity to thrust a dagger straight into the man’s neck without hesitation. While everyone was forced to witness their comrade gurgling with terror, the child simply retracted her blade with an emotionless face, letting the red fluids showered her small frame to replace the dried one. It was then that everyone realized how dangerous this small child whose height did not even reach a man’s waist really was. Within a mere second, everyone held up their swords, lances, axes, and spells with the face of a warrior who was about to strike down the enemy. A second later, the child charged toward the soldiers with astonishing speed. With impressive agility, the kid swiftly dodged almost every blow coming her way, saving only for a few that left her with a narrowed slice while her dagger aimed for a weak spot such as the knee, the shin, or toes to bring down the lethal spots into her range. While the battalions were forced to take a defensive position, a composed voice shouted out orders from a place nearby the stilled Emperor. 

“Everyone, stand back! Concentrate on forming a defensive barrier to cut off the escape route. Strike Force! Aim to wear or knock the kid out and avoid fatal blow unless you need to. Mages and archer on the rear. The rest form a circle. We will catch her alive!”

After everyone let out an acknowledged chant and moved into position, Byleth approached Edelgard with a collected expression that mixed with a subtle concern.

“Edelgard, are you alright?” Byleth asked quietly while observing the child’s fighting style with focused eyes. Even without looking directly at the Emperor, Byleth could see how Edelgard’s tight fist and stiffed shoulders meant after witnessing that small child, who seemed likely to undergo the same experiment and survived just like her, unhesitatingly executed men as twice as her size.

Exhaling long and heavy, the Emperor recomposed once again before replying calmly, “I’m fine. Let’s go and stop that child.”

Byleth nodded curtly before charging in with a Sword of Seiros in hands and Edelgard not far behind. As if sensing something coming her way, the child whipped her head toward Byleth and held up her two new daggers that she just snagged from the soldiers she took down to guard and withhold the strike the older women sent her way. After observing the kid for a short time, Byleth could see that this child’s speed could easily hold an equal ground with Petra, the fastest person in their troop. And with two daggers in hands, it allowed excellent mobility and impressive attacking angles. Another thing she noticed was that the child would exchange a few blows with the Strike Force to stun them before trying to escape through the battalions which formed a circle barrier around her only to be stopped again by the Strike Force.

 _Avoiding the tough opponent while aiming for the weaker spot to escape. So she’s quite smart. Or is it just instinct?_

Suddenly, the child withdrew her guard, sending Byleth to lurch forward due to her own weight. Before Byleth could get back on her feet, the child spun swiftly as if to increased her weight on the strike before her daggers closed to Byleth’s firm neck. Before her neck could decorate with a hole, a ball of fire came and blasted the child away. Sending a quick thanks to Hubert, Byleth was back on her feet at the same time she saw the Strike Force circled the child who was struggling to get back on her feet. As the child knew she was cornered, she got back on her feet and laid down, positioning her dagger at the front and back. The moment Byleth joined the group, she saw a glowing light with a familiar specific pattern appeared briefly in front of the child before she jumped toward Ferdinand and smeared him with four spontaneous strikes. Without giving a chance to breathe, another glowing light with the same symbol flashed again before the child swiftly turned to strike at Sylvain, breaking his lance with her fury attack. When the child was about to escape through the opened gap between Ferdinand, who was bleeding, and Sylvain, who had no weapon, two arrows soared through the wind and landed an inch accurately away from her, stopping the escapee. 

“Watch out! T-that was a Crest of Indech!” Bernadetta squeaked her warning from a place not far from the group, creating a right distraction for Byleth and Petra to charge in and for Sylvain to get Ferdinand out of the way.

As Byleth and Petra came into contact with the child, the glow of light with a symbol of Saint Indech appeared and activated another fury attack on both of them. With two opponents, the child jumped back and forth, using her opponents’ body as a jumping platform to swiftly land her fury attack simultaneously. With experience from the time when she roamed around the continent with her father, Byleth knew the difference between fighting against humans and animals. The knight would fight with a straight line, elegant pace, and honor. The bandit would fight with dirty tricks, immature stride, and pleasure. The animals, however, would fight with unpredictable, chaotic rudeness, and pure survival instinct. And the little child in front of her clearly fought like an animal. Only response when there was a stimulation. Only alarm when it was threatened. It made Byleth recalled another difference. Humans always had a purpose for fighting: money, peace, or the nation. But for animals, the only purpose was to survive. To keep themselves safe from harm. Then perhaps, there was only one way to stop this kid.

As Byleth was occupied by the trail of thought, suddenly, a sharp blade of a dagger appeared in her view when it was only an inch away from Byleth’s chest. Byleth leaned back to evade the incoming slash, resulting in the blade to slice off only the medallion on her chest and revealed the long faded scar where her heart should be. Upon seeing what was underneath the medallion, for a brief second, Byleth sensed the amethyst eyes fixated on the scar with a hint of hesitation as if the scar meant something. Before Byleth could comprehend the meaning of the disrupted movement, crimson regalia and the tower shield emerged in between her and the child, forcing the latter to bounce against the shield and clashed into Petra behind. Petra used this opportunity to pin down the small child and snagged one dagger out of the small grip, making it difficult for the kid to slip off the older women’s grasp. 

As Petra said something to the child with her native language, Byleth regained her ground with a heaving chest. “We need to calm her down. I think she’s just scared of us.” Byleth calmly told the Emperor beside her before she paused to recall the faint reaction she saw a second ago. “She flinched when she saw my scar, El. Maybe showing her again might help stop her.” 

Focusing her attention on the child who was struggling under Petra, Edelgard nodded slightly. “I could see why she is afraid. But I’m not sure what yo-”

Before Edelgard and Byleth could finish their dialogue, the sight unraveled before them stole the breath out of their lungs. There was a flash of glowing light appeared before the kid again, but this time, with a different symbol. A symbol that both Edelgard and Byleth knew so well how much they were forced to sacrifice in order to bear that sacred symbol. The blessed power they never wished to carry.

The Crest of Flame.

They found their breath again when a loud thud from Petra, who was sent flying by the power of the Crest, reached their ears. And so, gnashing her teeth in rage, Edelgard launched forward with her shield at the front, intending to stop the child as soon as possible. But she was too slow. As the Crest of Flame activated again, the child threw a kick with a rusted shackle and a broken chain at the shield, resulting in a loud clunk. Embracing the impact with only a slight wince, Edelgard watched her metal shield bulged in the shape of shackle and foot with a painful expression. A second after the impact, she heard a whistling sound of an arrow soaring through the wind to separate the child from her. Seeing another potential threat, the child changed her attention and dashed straight to stop that threat, Bernadetta.

The purple hair archer let out a high-pitched yelp when she saw the child came at her with a dagger before she let loose a few more arrows. But none of them could stop the incoming target. As the child entered the range where Bernadetta could not use her bow anymore, a terror of death started to creep up on the purple hair archer’s body. Trembling hard and weak knees, Bernadetta’s vision began to blur with transparent liquid as she saw the figure with a dagger became bigger. Even though her comrades shouted out to warn the archer, she could hear none of them as the death rooted her in place. When Bernadetta could not take it anymore, she collapsed on her knees with hands covered her head and eyes squeezed tight. With a dagger prepared to strike down at her neck, Bernadetta squeaked out loudly with a trembling voice. 

“HELP MEEE! NOOOO!”

Unexpectedly, the Crest of Flame appeared again as the child’s free hand quickly grabbed the dagger, stopping the strike immediately. Feeling no pain on her body and hearing nothing but silence, Bernadetta slowly opened her eyes to see wide amethyst eyes looking at her with realization and recognition as if the trembling archer reminded her of someone. Peering beside her, she saw a dagger’s blade only an inch away from her neck, but it was protected by a small bloody hand. The sight before her shocked not only Bernadetta but also everyone who witnessed it, especially Byleth and Edelgard, who was trying hard to understand what revealed before them. As the child stood before her shifted position, Bernadetta shut her eyes again while letting out more apologies and plea. As everyone was about to intervene, they were stopped again by a strange behavior they saw. Crouching down in front of Bernadetta, the child rose her bleeding hand to Bernadetta’s face, using her backhand to gently wipe out the trail of tear that ran down along the trembling face. Such a strange, tender touch prompted Bernadetta to open her eyes again, and she saw nothing but safe and kindness in those soften amethyst eyes. As Bernadetta eased her shaking body and felt content with the touch, suddenly, Caspar ran up to them and shoved the child away. 

While the child was sent rolling on the ground, Caspar turned to the wide eyes archer with a concerned expression. “Bernadetta! Are you alright? Did that kid hurt you?”

When Bernadetta shook her head slightly, Caspar nodded before charging after the child to use this as an opportunity to knock her out. But within a split second, the small child sprung back on her feet as if she was incapable of feeling the pain and charged back toward Caspar. When they almost collided into each other, the smaller one used her tiny frame to dodge Caspar’s knuckle and kicked his leg, making Caspar stumble forward. Then she jumped onto the man’s back, weighing him down to meet the ground. As soon as Caspar was on the ground, the child rose her dagger high and prepared to land its sharp tip. Unexpectedly, as a red figure was flickering at the corner of her eyes, the dagger was out of her hand, flying away from the impact made by an axe. Predicting another blow might land on her, the kid jumped away and dashed toward Bernadetta instead. 

While Caspar looked up to see the Emperor who rescued him, Edelgard shouted out an order full of weight and sternness, “Everyone stand down!” 

Upon hearing the firm order, the Strike Force stopped on their tracks to rescue Bernadetta. When Edelgard returned her gaze to the child, her grave features were struck by the sight before her. The child stood with her back faced Bernadetta as soon as she got to her. While she was in her fighting stance, her bleeding hand hovered in front of the confused archer as if the little child was trying to protect the older women behind her. As she saw the child did nothing but moved herself closer to Bernadetta whenever anyone shifted their bodies, Edelgard’s features softened. The lilac eyes flicked faintly to meet Byleth’s serene eyes from afar only to get her silent answer through a firm nod and a confident smile. And so, slowly, she approached the protective child and left her axe and shield on the ground along the way, trying not to scare her further. When Edelgard was closed enough to see the small stiffed shoulders clearly, she carefully lower herself down to be able to meet the amethyst eyes equally. 

“It’s okay, little one. Calm down. I’m not going to hurt you.” Edelgard spoke softly with a volume that closed to a whisper, fearing that her harsh, loud voice could scare the child away. As Edelgard was sure that the child’s attention was entirely on her, she gradually crawled closer and stopped once the kid narrowed her eyes in focus.

While she was searching for a way to get even closer, she glanced slightly at the archer, who seemed to be dumbfounded at the child before her, before asking softly, “Are you...trying to protect Bernadetta?” 

Her only response was a silence and a slight movement of the child moving closer to Bernadetta until she almost had her back on her face. And so, Edelgard continued, “I’m her friend. I won’t hurt her. Don’t worry.”

Suddenly, Edelgard recalled when Byleth told her about the scar. Thus, hesitantly, she reached for her crimson glove armor. She had never revealed her scars publically before and only revealed them in front of Byleth whom she trusted the most. Thus, taking off her glove here to bear the scarred hand for others to see painfully shook her heart. Without knowing, Edelgard nervous eyes searched for calm cobalt eyes she always yearned for. When she found them, they were calm and gentle as they always had been. Lowering her gaze a bit, she noticed Byleth was voicelessly saying something to her.

_You will be fine, El. I’m here._

And thus, closing her eyes and exhaling quietly, she turned back to the child before Edelgard carefully took off her glove armor, revealing the soft hand adorned with several scars. With her bare hand, she slowly reached out while the child’s gaze followed that hand with wary eyes. 

When she stopped, Edelgard quietly spoke up with unwavering eyes, “We are the same, you and I. I know what you have been through. I know the suffering you have to face. So don’t be afraid, little one. I will never hurt you.” 

It was a long moment of nothing but silence when the lilac eyes full of emotion met with the amethyst eyes full of nothingness. But underneath that void, Edelgard knew something was trying to break out from the invisible wall. Eventually, it was the amethyst eyes that blinked away the silence and crept up closer to the scarred hand with watchful step. As the kid was closed enough, she reached out her bloody hand to gently, hesitantly touch the scarred one. Because Edelgard was not used to be touched by others beside Byleth, she unconsciously flinched back her hand a bit, prompting the same reaction from the child too. As the child retracted her hand back with wary eyes again, Edelgard, knowing she just made a big mistake, breathed shakily before reached out her hand again. The amethyst eyes flicked back and forth between the lilac eyes and the scarred hand for sometimes as if to make sure that it was safe before reaching out to gently took that hand within her grasp.

Edelgard observed the child quietly as she fixated her eyes at the scarred hand. The child used her thump to rub one of many faded scars on it as if she was trying to erase that scar. Seeing the kid was unexpectedly occupied by her hand, Edelgard gradually drifted herself closer. Eventually, Edelgard was hovering over the little child who was sitting down, inspecting her scarred hand with care. As if sensing someone got closer to her, the child looked up, bringing her hollow amethyst eyes to meet the kind lilac eyes and a warm smile. They stayed like that for a while, as if both of them were trying to read what was in the other’s mind. With a blink that broke the silence with the lilac eyes, the amethyst orbs flicked lower and stayed at the crimson regalia. At the same time, the child reached out the bleeding hand to place it over the fabric of Edelgard’s chest. While the child stared at the two different shades of crimson with a subtle glimmer in her amethyst orbs as if this was the first time she saw such a difference, Edelgard slowly and quietly enclosed her free hand to wrap the child in an embrace while using the other hand to hold her. However, as the little child realized the unfamiliar touches that came in the form of a loose embrace and hand-holding, her body suddenly tensed up, and her bleeding hand unintentionally clutched into the chest part of the crimson regalia.

“Shhh, It’s okay. You’re safe.”

Edelgard continued cooing soft words onto the stiff frame while gently stroking the messy long white locks with care. A while later, the small body gradually lost its tension while the tiny bleeding hand lost its hard grip bit by bit, albeit still held on to the thick fabric tight. Eventually, Edelgard could feel the small body started to go limp against her with a tiny head offered its weight against her collarbone. And so, Edelgard curled down protectively around the little figure as she felt a little steady rhythm of the breath. It was then that she realized how small and fragile the creature in her arms really was, too small and too fragile. 

“H-how is the child?”

Edelgard looked up to see Bernadetta asking her with a curiosity that replaced the previous fear completely. As she nodded slightly, trying not to disturb the child below, Byleth approached them and placed her hand on Edelgard’s frail shoulder with a squeeze. Couching down quietly, Byleth skimmed through Edelgard from her white locks to her toes before she stopped her gaze at the messy ball of white in her lover’s arms. A beat later, when most of the Strike Force arrived, a shaking voice full of anger emerged from the mage with the pale tulip pink eyes.

“Edelgard...Is that...did she..?” 

Carrying the firm, understanding lilac eyes to meet the painful, anger tulip eyes, Edelgard inclined her head again. Such a simple movement sent a strong spark of emotion through Lysithea, making her shake uncontrollably. While the Strike Force was trying to calm the white hair mage down, Byleth simply let Edelgard’s crowned head rest on her shoulder and held her close as much as the sleeping child allowed to. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> Somehow I think the more I write, the longer the chapter will be. orz  
> Not sure if it's good or bad, but it definitely made me think I should change from posting weekly to bi-weekly.  
> I'll see how it goes for the next chapter. Also, I think from now on, I won't be bother to have a fixed word count for a chapter anymore. I'll just write whatever I felt like to.  
> I usually have a maximum word count so that I kind of have a sense of achievement when I finish one chapter. But it seems that strategy backfire so yeah...I'll just write with no word count in mind and focus more on the sequences in one chapter.  
> Anyway, that's it for this week. Kudos and comments are always welcome. Let me know what you think!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Song track: But still....- Aimer
> 
> Lullaby: Safe and sound - Taylor Swift Cover by Jayesslee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah. I apologize but my brain just always regenerate all of these sad things for my little girl. Besides, I used tag "slow build" for a reason, you know? :p  
> Anyway, let's slowly learn more about the girl together with Edelgard and Byleth.  
> There will be more bumpy road ahead of them, so be prepared (yes, I'm talking to myself in particular).  
> With that, I hope you enjoy.

“For the last time, Hubert. I will NOT keep this child in any type of confinement.”

As the soldiers and healers were busy taking care of injured people as well as preparing for the departure back, Edelgard’s stern, irritated voice soared through all busy noises. Facing her and the sleeping child in her arms with a grim frown was Hubert, who had been trying to convince his lady for the past few minutes. 

“Your Majesty, with all due respect, I suggest that we should at least separate this child from you for your own safety. And we can have some bandages tie her up so that she cannot do something inappropriate.” Hubert bowed down while insisting on protecting the Emperor from the unforeseeable harm. 

But Edelgard seemed to see things differently from her retainer as the corner of her eyes twitched with annoyance. At the same time, her hands curled around the small figure protectively. And so, she retorted darkly, “I can take care of myself, Hubert. Or do you think I am such a weak person who cannot protect herself?” 

When Hubert was about to open his mouth again, Edelgard sent him a deadly glare that made Hubert halted his breath. Fortunately, before Edelgard’s sharp glare could potentially harm her retainer, a meek voice emerged from not far behind, redirecting Hubert’s and Edelgard’s attention to the purple hair women. 

“U-um I think Hubert just tried to protect you, Lady Edelgard. So please, don’t be mad at him. But then I don’t think this child will hurt you either. The child seems nice enough to protect Bernie like that.”

As Bernadetta voiced her thoughts while wimpishly looking back and forth between Edelgard and Hubert, Lysithea joined the conversation with noticeable painful eyes and a scowl. “Whether that child is nice or not, one thing I’m certain is that if you, Hubert, want that child not to freak out and hurt anyone again, then you would better listen to Edelgard. Restraining her is the last thing you should do to that child.”

While Hubert was considering the input from his comrades, Byleth, who had been watching the whole debate from the start, stepped in with a reassuring, calm voice and a carefree smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll be by her side for the entire trip back to Enbarr. If the kid wakes up and does something dangerous, I’ll make sure to keep Edelgard safe.” 

Eventually, Hubert let out a defeated sigh before excusing himself to relay out the plan for the march back and visit Ferdinand on his way. And for the Emperor, she thanked Bernadetta and Lysithea for helping in subdual her retainer. After they, especially Lysithea, exchanged a word of worries directed at the child and the Emperor, Edelgard and Byleth excused themselves to wait in the carriage until the troop readied to advance back home. As soon as Byleth closed the carriage’s door, Edelgard collapsed into her seat and let out a long heavy sigh. Glancing her calm, albeit concerned, cobalt eyes toward her lover, Byleth gently wrapped Edelgard’s shoulder to hold her close. 

A beat after Byleth was sure Edelgard could feel her warm touch, she cooed softly to her, being careful not to wake the sleeping child below. “Are you alright, El? Do you need anything?”

However, Edelgard did not respond right away as she usually did as if she lost in thought. But then she gradually allowed the weight of her crown to rest on Byleth’s broad shoulder. She slowly closed her eyes as she whispered her response weakly, “I’m alright, my love. I just...need to rest my eyes a bit.”

Byleth nodded as she let Edelgard’s weight pressed against her solid frame. “Do you want me to carry the kid for you?”

Again, it took a beat for Edelgard to find her voice before she slightly shook her head. “Thank you, my love, But I’m fine. Besides, this child is...a lot lighter than I anticipated…” Edelgard trailed off at the end of her sentence with a painful, guilty murmuring as if she was talking to herself while carefully enveloping the child into a little cocoon with her crimson cape. 

As Byleth quietly watched her, such a vulnerability that was hidden within Edelgard’s tired voice and gestured painted a frown on Byleth’s face. Even without looking directly into those lilac eyes, her body and her heart could see through the wall and knew what was on her lover’s mind. And so, Byleth planted a soothing kiss on the top of the white locks before murmuring with soft, yet firm voice. 

“You can’t control them, El. This is not your fault.”

It was true, Edelgard thought silently. Even when Those Who Slithered in the Dark agreed to help the Emperor took down the corrupted archbishop, they were not real allies. They never planned to be. And so, it was always difficult for the Emperor and Hubert to convince them to follow their plan. The only thing they were eager to offer was their nasty assistant, which Edelgard refused to use ever since Byleth had pointed her sword against the sky with her. Everyone knew that. She knew that. But even so, she should have done something. Something more. More than just reassuring Those Who Slithered in the Dark that she could succeed, reassuring them that they just had to sit and watch their masterpiece performed her role, reassuring them that they did not have to move an inch to achieve what they wanted. More. 

But she failed. She let them did things under her nose. Something she devoted more than half of her life to stop. And the wounded child in her arms was evidence of her failure. As Edelgard’s thought drowned her deeper into the void inside her heart, the carriage started to move. Eventually, the wave of exhaustion engulfed her mind and body, halting her realm of thought. Before long, Edelgard let the gentle sway of the carriage lured her to sleep within Byleth’s solid, warm arms. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

The day and night had come and gone while the troop had stopped and taken some breaks in between their journey back home. During those times, there were a few gossips among the soldiers regarding the child who had slept for two days straight and the Emperor who refused to let anyone took that child away from her hold. It was a wonder for everyone, including Byleth, who was half crouching down in front of Edelgard and the sleeping child right now. 

While she was intensely and curiously staring at the child with her focused eyes, she blandly asked Edelgard above her without breaking her stare, “El. Do you think this kid is a girl or a boy?”

Upon hearing a sudden question out of nowhere, Edelgard looked down at the messy navy blue hair with a dumbfounded face, not knowing how to respond to such a serious tone, albeit with a somewhat dull question, she got. Before Edelgard could form a word, the woman in front of her shifted hands slightly to slip up the ripped smock, revealing a bare skin underneath and prompting Edelgard’s eyes to go wider in shock. 

As Byleth saw what underneath the small ruined fabric, she nodded and hummed in a similar way to when she learned about something new and just got hold of it. Before Edelgard could ask what just happened and why, Byleth looked up to her and said with a straight face, “She is a girl.” 

Fluttering in confusion, Edelgard finally managed to let out an acknowledgment in the form of hum and decided just to leave her lover continued her examination of the sleeping child peacefully. With that, it allowed Byleth to continue staring at the girl in front of her impassively. A while later, as if staring was not enough, Byleth curiously poked the girl’s skinny cheek.

Upon seeing the continuing nudge, Edelgard began to concern that the action might irritate the sleeping child. And so, she spoke up softly, “My love. You will wake her up.” 

“Don’t worry, El. She seems really cozy sleeping in your arms like this.” Byleth replied plainly as if she was stating a fact and continued testing her figure on the skinny cheek.

It made Edelgard sighed in defeat. Her lover had a really childish side that almost always urged a warm smile on Edelgard’s facade, but at the same time, she just could not understand this side of her that much. Admittedly, it was one of those many bizarre traits that left Edelgard with both adoration and puzzlement for Byleth. Nonetheless, she loved her anyway. 

Suddenly, the carriage was tossed from side to side as if it just dipped into a big hole on the ground, sending Edelgard to lurch forward into Byleth, who was also tottering backward. Thus, both of them were thrown into the opposite seat with Byleth acting as a safe cushion for Edelgard to land on her with a yelp. Outside the carriage, a frantically apologizing reached their ears as well as a stern voice of Hubert, who was undoubtedly scolding the poor coachman. As Edelgard and Byleth were struggling to get back up in such a limited space of the carriage, the curled messy white ball in Edelgard’s arms stirred up with a muffled, muted groan. As Edelgard still struggled to bring herself up with only one hand, the blurry amethyst eyes gradually revealed themselves to Byleth in front of her. Upon seeing the half-lidded eyes, Byleth frantically searched through her foggy memory of the past to find a way to soothe the little girl. Without thinking, Byleth blurted out a melody that seemed to be a lullaby. Even if the first part was a bit shaky, Byleth eventually found the right tone and rhythm of the song. As she sang the sweet, soft lullaby to the sparkling half-lidded amethyst eyes, Byleth was brought back to the day when Jeralt sang her the very same song, lulling her to sleep under the starry night sky. Even though she was not capable of feeling things as much at that time, she remembered feeling safe and warm upon hearing the lullaby. And she hoped the girl in Edelgard’s arms would feel the same. As if Sothis granted her wish, the little one slowly let go of the heavy lid and drifted back into a peaceful dream again. After Byleth and Edelgard saw a few steady up-and-down rhythms of the small chest, the girl strengthened her grip on Edelgard’s chest and buried further into her. 

A few moments of a steady breathing sound passed by, eventually, Edelgard and Byleth let go of their breath with relief. And then, Byleth realized something. “Wait. I shouldn’t do that. If she’s not waking up, then she can’t eat, right?”

In a brief second, Edelgard looked at her lover with unbelievable eyes before she gave up and released a muffled laugh that urged the confused Byleth to titled her head to the side. She had no idea how this woman could be worried about eating when the girl in front of her just tried to harm her a few days back. Out of everything she could think, it always had to be eating. As Edelgard recovered, she spoke up softly with a fond smile and a relaxing tone, “That’s a valid point, my love. But if anything, I would rather have her wakes up on her own accord. Besides, if she’s hungry, she will just wake up to eat on her own, right?” 

Upon seeing Byleth beamed in realization, Edelgard could not help but had to let out another set of giggling again. Even though Byleth did not understand why her lover did so, she smiled up fondly, feeling both happy and relieve that Edelgard finally relaxed after everything. After that, the ride back home was uneventful and filled with a relaxing atmosphere, allowing the little one to sleep soundly within Edelgard’s warm arms until they got back to Enbarr. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When the troop finally arrived at the palace, Edelgard and Byleth went straight to the infirmary, bringing the little girl to Manuela as soon as they ordered Hubert to take care of the rest. On their way, Edelgard could sense several watchful eyes sending her way, or rather to the girl within her arms. But she ignored them all. And eventually, she and Byleth arrived at the palace infirmary where Manuela greeted them with an alluring smile. But the instant that Manuela glanced her eyes to the sleeping child, her smile faded into a tight thin line before she beckoned Edelgard to lay her down on the bed. While Byleth was explaining the situation with the girl, Edelgard steadily approached the bed. As Edelgard bent down to gently pry herself away from the little girl, the grip on her chest suddenly tightened as if the tiny hand did not want to let go of her. Seeing the Emperor halted her movement, Byleth shifted forward to peer over her shoulder.

“What is it?”

“She...won’t let go of me,” Edelgard replied mournfully with a subtle frown while trying to uncoil the white knuckle on her chest.

“Well, this sweetheart is quite a challenge, isn’t she? I could still look at her in this position, but it will be hard for me to examine her as I supposed to do properly.” Manuela, who stood at the opposite side of the bed, voiced her concern with a pensive expression. 

Biting her lower lip with worry, Edelgard decided that it would be better if the girl could get a thorough examination. And so, she hunched down further to coo into the small ball while lightly stroking the knuckle with her gloved hand. 

“Little one, it’s alright. I’ll be nearby, so can you let go of me for a while? Manuela is a trusted ally of mine. She won’t hurt you.”

Just like a spell was cast, the tight grip started to lose its strength and went limp within mere minutes as if the sleeping girl could understand Edelgard’s call. And so, Edelgard gently rested her on the bed and unwrapped her from the warm, cozy cape. Minutes went by slowly as Edelgard restlessly watched Manuela roamed her slender hands with a green light throughout the small figure. As Byleth sensed a nervousness from her lover, she slowly intertwined her hand with the crimson gloved knuckle and flashed Edelgard a soothing smile. The warmth that radiated from Byleth ceased Edelgard’s uneasiness, prompting the latter to let out a long breath she unknowingly held. More minutes went by as they saw Manuela’s face went somber. Suddenly, a knock on the door interrupted the heavy silence they were in before the snow-white locks popped out from the entrance along with a low voice that hinted with concerns.

“Edelgard, Professor. How’s the kid?”

Knowing full well who was behind the door, Edelgard invited her in calmly. “Ah, Lysithea. Manuela is looking at her right now. You can come in if you want to.”

Thus, quietly, Lysithea revealed herself from the wooden door and approached the empty place beside Edelgard. All the while, her tulip eyes never leave the sleeping girl on the bed. Not long after, Manuela finally let out a sigh through her nose before turning to the trio, who was standing expectantly.

“It’s unfortunate, but I have to say that the little girl here was not doing well at all. With a quick examination, she has malnutrition, dehydration, lack of sleep, several scars, and wounds on her torso as well as where the shackles are. Other than that, I guess that because of the Crest of Flame, some of her injuries heal up quicker than the usual rate. Otherwise, I wouldn’t believe that she still alive.” Manuela finished her report that left a bad taste on Edelgard and Lysithea face. 

“Lack of sleep? But she has been sleeping for the whole journey back here.” Byleth curiously asked while tilting her head to the side.

Crossing her leg on the chair, Manuela explained with a contemplative expression, “Well, when you have a prolonged period of insomnia, it could make you sleep for the whole day and night. That might be the case with this girl. But even so, the damaged of having prolonged insomnia will remain on the body. Anyway, for now, I will patch her up and do an internal examination later. We need to let her sleep until her body decides to wake up on its own.”

After Manuela finished, Byleth simply nodded while Edelgard took a mental note for the little one’s symptoms and said, “I see. I’ll leave the rest to you then.”

Eventually, it was time for them to leave for the meeting. Thus, Edelgard and Byleth were about to turn on their heels when Lysithea, who had been quiet since she came in, spoke up weakly, “can I...stay here?”

As both Edelgard and Byleth looked at her with inquisitive looks, Lysithea continued with a hint of a plea in her tone, “I will ask Linhardt later about the meeting, so…can I stay here to help Manuela take care of the kid?”

Usually, it was required for everyone in the Strike Force to attend the concluded meeting to sum up the mission, but as if Edegard understood the intention behind those tulip eyes, she allowed it. Besides, having Lysithea looked after the child would ultimately reassure her that the child would be appropriately treated giving her unique condition. Thus, Edelgard and Byleth made their way to the war conference room and realized upon arriving that everyone had been waiting for them already. Without further ado, they started the concluded meeting as soon as the Emperor and the General reached their respective seats.

As usual, the Emperor beckoned to begin the meeting as Hubert strengthened up in his seat before he began retailing the mission. “As you all know, it seemed that the hideout of Those Who Slither we just discovered has secretly continued their Crest experiment. According to my assumption, the child we met is likely a sole survivor from their wicked experiment. And this same child seems to be the one who exterminated the whole pile of minions there. Thankfully for us, Professor took the right action to withdraw battalions in time. Otherwise, there would be more unnecessary casualties on our end. “

Hubert paused to breathe in the dense cloud that had settled into the room before he continued, “In terms of the investigation, I have found...this.” Hubert retrieved a small, worn-out notebook with a dark leather cover that stained with an inky red fluid as he delivered what he found within to his comrades. “Apparently, it belongs to the head of their Crest project. In this book, there are details regarding the Crest theory and the experiment itself.”

As soon as Hubert said the word Crest, the sleepy Crest scholar snapped out of his nap, startling Caspar beside him in the process, and vigorously extended his hand toward the dark mage with a spark in his eyes. “Let me see it.”

Before Hubert could say anything, however, a stern voice intervened from the seat of the Emperor. “You will get to look at it, Linhardt. There’s no doubt this could benefit your Crest research greatly. But before that, Hubert, can I take a look at it while you are relaying what you found to us?”

While Linhardt retracted his hand with an annoying groan, Hubert secretly flashed his eyes toward Byleth, who was sitting beside the Emperor before reluctantly handing over the notebook. As Byleth got the message from him, her wary gaze followed the notebook, moving from a white glove to the crimson one. But the Emperor seemed to be occupied by the dark leather that she did not aware of the concerned cobalt eyes. In Edelgard’s vision, there was only the blood-stained notebook that seemed to emit a dreadful, viperous air around it. Tentatively, she glided the leather cover away, revealing a slightly burnt edge of the brown-yellow shaded paper that had a list of numbers on it. Some of the numbers were crossed out with a black line, leaving only a few numbers left. Beside those few numbers were a symbol of Crest she knew some of her friends had. At the very end of the first page, however, there was one number, _1182082901_ , that had a thick red circle surrounded it. Another difference was that beside it, there were two Crest symbols instead of one, the Crest of Indech and the Crest of Flame, and there was a scribble below the number that read _The new gem_.

The vortex of questions began to form inside Edelgard’s mind as she flipped through a few more pages with almost every number crossed out. Her hand only abruptly stopped when she got to the page with a diagram of a human and various scribbles and doodles floated around it. The most striking one that captured her eyes, however, was two words with underlines at the top of the page, _Blood transfusion and Heart resection._ Before she could read the details of the procedure, all of a sudden, the book closed itself with a loud smack, sending Edelgard to flinched and snapped back into her surrounding. It was then that she could feel the gentle warm hands over her rigid cold pair on the closed book as well as several concerned gazes. 

“I’ve been calling you so many times, Edelgard. And you didn’t respond.” Byleth let out quietly with a noticeable frown on her face while she tried to pry the book away from Edelgard’s hard grip.

Exhaling heavily through her nose, Edelgard apologized with a sore face. “I’m sorry. I was...absorbed by the content in the book.” As she said so, her hands regained her grip on the book, trying to get it back from her lover. 

The gesture did nothing but deepened the frown on Byleth’s face as she tried to resist Edelgard’s attempt with a light tug. “Hubert already told us what we need to know about the girl and that hideout. You don’t have to read it.” 

After a few more tugs and unyielding glares between the cobalt and lilac pairs, the latter finally reluctantly let go of the book and sank into the seat with a small defeated scowl. And so, with the back cover notebook in her hands, Byleth flashed the Emperor a subtle, soothing smile before she forwarded it to Linhardt. A beat after she recomposed, Edelgard strengthened in her seat and declared her order for the retainer.

“Hubert, after this, contact my uncle for me. I must discuss this matter with him personally and immediately.”

The announcement perked Ferdinand’s attention up before he exclaimed with an unsure tone. “Edelgard, I don’t think that would be a wise move. Inviting a snake in might prove to be dangerous for you.”

“Do not worry, Ferdinand. I believe my uncle will not do anything reckless unless it benefits him and his allies. And I just wanted to know what the hell they are planning to do.” Edelgard reassured Ferdinand with a stern face and a spark of fire in her lilac eyes that prompted a small sigh out of the Prime Minister. 

“...As you wish, Your Majesty. Just make sure to have Hubert and Professor with you then. By the way, what should we do with the girl? While I could fathom what she has been through, I think it might be safer to keep her isolated for the sake of everyone.” the bright orange hair man offered his concerns while unintentionally touched the wounds he got from the little child. 

“I agreed with Ferdinand here. Even though she is just a girl, her combat skills are far more capable than most soldiers in the army.” Felix contributed to the Prime Minister’s suggestion while urging a few more nods from his comrades around the conference table.

Among those who did not incline their heads along with Felix, Petra chimed in with a pensive expression as if she was trying to recall her memories of the past. “I am not sure, but for me, the girl was fighting with...as if she was scared. I think she was just trying to protect herself, not trying to hurt anyone.” 

“That’s a good point, love. Besides, Manuela said she is severely injured, isn’t she? Dangerous or not, I really don’t want to leave her like that.” Dorothea’s worry pulled her delicate lip into a subtle frown hinted with understanding. 

Edelgard leaned forward to place her elbow on the table and laced her fingers together before declaring her thought. “While I understand some of your concerns, I believe that the girl needs immediate medical attention right now. We can determine if she is a harm or not after she recovers.”

Curiously, Byleth asked the Emperor as if she knew Edelgard had not spoken out her mind yet, “What do you have in mind, Edelgard?”

Turning to the messy deep blue hair beside her, Edelgard hesitated to fulfill the question her lover asked. She was the Emperor, after all. She could not let her emotion suppressed her logical judgment. But when she looked into those calm, trustworthy cobalt eyes, her emotions just kept growing and growing until she could not bottle them up anymore. 

And so, reluctantly, she responded with a wishful tone. “I...actually wished to help the little girl recover first. After she is well, I think I will look for her family. If for some reason, her family was nowhere to be found, then I will find someone suitable to adopt her...to give her a life she supposed to have…” 

As Edelgard trailed off at the end, Byleth flashed her a soothing smile as if she already knew what her answer would be. A beat later, Ferdinand blurted out again with his usual bright tone mixed with respect. “Well. The Emperor has spoken, everyone. Thus, we will help the little girl see through her pain and guide her toward the right path. After that, we will assist her in finding her family.” 

As the Prime Minister concluded the subject, everyone hummed obligingly in response. Once again, Edelgard was stunned by such overwhelming support her friends had that left her to feel lighter. And so, they ended the meeting with that conclusion, waiting for more information before they would decide on their next move. A while later, Edelgard and Byleth walked out of the room, side by side, with small bickering between Hubert and Ferdinand followed closed. Without paying much attention, it seemed they were arguing about Hubert giving her that notebook or something along that line. Edelgard had learned to ignore most of their bickering, which was more frequent than Hubert’s occasional greeting with Byleth. Regardless, she was glad that despite the unexpected mission, nothing seemed to change much besides her own intensifying ambition to take down Those Who Slither in the Dark. Or so she thought.

“Little one! Come back!”

While they were in the hallway, on their way to the infirmary, a hoarse shout from a distance reached their ears, drawing their attention down the hallway. Squinting her eyes to see better in the distance, Edelgard saw the tiny figure with bandages covered some part of her body wiggling left and right, in and out of the room as if she was looking for something, or rather someone. A bit behind was Manuela, who was struggling to catch up with the little girl’s swiftness. 

And so, without thinking, Edelgard launched herself forward with a jog-trot at the same time when the clattering sound of the shackles and chains stopped abruptly. At that moment, when the amethyst eyes landed on the crimson regalia in the distance, the little child dashed toward her in a straight line. The second the girl reached Edelgard, she threw herself into the Emperor, holding on to her as if she was a lighthouse during her dark journey. If the girl had the weight she supposed to have, Edelgard might have been taken aback by a step of two already, but because she was so light, the impact was minimized tremendously. 

“L- little one? What happened?” Edelgard asked softly with a baffled face as she hesitantly placed her arms around the smaller figure, returning the tight hold with a loose embrace. While Edelgard and Byleth, who just caught up to her, shared their confused looks, the sound of a gasping and labored breathing reached their ears and drew their eyes toward an exhausted Manuela who was trying so hard to reach where they were with limply legs. 

“Ha..ha...l-ltle- little one, s-stop.” 

As soon as Manuela reached Edelgard and Byleth, she was on her knees, urging the little girl to shift from roughly embracing Edelgard to hide herself under the crimson cape while peeking out with suspicious and threatening eyes. While Manuela was trying to catch her breath, Edelgard could hear another set of grasping for air followed behind the former instructor. Upon seeing the snow-white hair mage crawling to join Manuela, Edelgard’s bewilderment shifted into a concern.

“Manuela, Lysithea. Are you alright? What happened?”

With help from Hubert and Ferdinand with a bit more rest to breathe, both mages gradually got back on their feet. A beat later, Manuela finally spoke up with a bit more strength and stability in her voice, “We just finished her internal examination when- when this girl woke up and-”

Thinking the old healer might have difficulty in finishing her words, the younger mage continued with the most furious tone she could manage in between her shallow breath, “And she just busted through the door and ran like a mad girl around the palace.” 

The story served Edelgard with nothing but even more puzzled. And so, looking down to meet the amethyst eyes, Edelgard tilted her head in an inquisitive manner as she expected to get something from the small child under her cape. But the only thing she got was a blank stare. A beat of silence passed before she saw Byleth crouching down beside the child and let the calm cobalt eyes met the blank amethyst pair for the first time.

“Hey, kid. Why did you run away like that? Can you tell me?” 

There was a silence hanged over the area when Byleth and the child shared their blank eyes for a long moment as if they were exchanging a silent conversation. During those times, Edelgard noticed the empty amethyst eyes flicked back and forth between the two mages who were catching their breath and Byleth, who stared at her calmly. A while later, it was Byleth who broke the eye contact with a fond smile while standing up with a satisfied nod. 

“Don’t worry. They were just trying to help you, kid. ” 

The sudden, unexpected, comforting comment made everyone confused, including Edelgard, who looked at her lover with absolute bewilderment.“My love...you can understand her?” 

Byleth tilted her head up a bit in a thoughtful manner and let out her uncertain hum.“Hm. I don’t know. I just...kind of senses something in her eyes? But I think the point is she was looking for you, El. She really likes you.” 

“...Is that so?” Edelgard wondered out loud with a doubtful face while looking down at the girl as if this time, she would get an answer from the young girl. But again, she only got the same blank amethyst eyes that gazed up at her with an unreadable expression. Surprisingly, she found those pair was, somehow, familiar to her, reminding her of the blank stare of a certain someone she knew so well all those years ago when she was still a student. 

_No wonder why they could understand each other._

A long, heavy sigh brought Edelgard back to the healer in front of her, who just regained her strength. “Fu! That was quite an exercise, huh. Now, can someone do me a favor and take off those shackles, so I can patch her up properly?”

Manuela exclaimed while retrieving bolt cutters from her overcoat, hovering it dangerously near Hubert’s annoying face. The second the little one saw the tool, Edelgard could feel her small grip on her regalia tightened, and the dire air hovered around her. Sensing the shifted mood of the little one, Edelgard decided to pick her up in the hope to calm her down and prevent her from running away again. Even though she did not want to do anything against the little girl’s will, she knew from her experience that cutting off those awful restraints would help her greatly both mentally and physically. Thus, as Edelgard held her up close, she positioned the girl to face away from the tool. At the same time, Edelgard patted her back gently to release the stiffness the small child had. It took a while, but eventually, the little one started to go limp within her hold. With that, Edelgard beckoned Hubert to execute Manuela’s favor. 

And so, Hubert firmly grabbed the bolt cutters in his hand as if this task was something he was so familiar with before he took a step forward, intending to finish this job as fast as he could. When the metal tool made contact with the shackle on the girl’s ankle, Edelgard could feel the small frame tensed up again within a mere second. As soon as the tool cut the metal restraint with a short clink, the girl whipped her head back toward Hubert with a fierce glare. Fearing the child could jump into her retainer at any moment, Edelgard cupped the small face and mildly turned it to have the amethysts eyes saw only the soft mixed with pain lilac pair. While Hubert resumed his task with another clink, the little one trembled so violently that Edelgard could feel her heart was pierced by an arrow, at the same time that she felt her skin was pricked by the small white knuckles. Looking into each other’s eyes, Edelgard could see the distant amethyst eyes started to wander off to another place as the clinking sound continued. A horrible, awful place. Even after Hubert finished cutting off all the shackles, those terrified eyes had not come back. And so, Edelgard cooed softly to the distant stare that showed only a silent scream while gently caressing the small face with her thumb.

“Little one, see? Hubert was done. It’s fast, right? And it’s better now, isn’t it?” 

After a few more beats with nothing but silence and the trembling body, Edelgard shifted to pat the girl gently at the back and continued cooing into the messy white hair. “Little one, it’s alright. Everything is alright now. You are safe. No one will hurt you.” 

As the child responded no further than the shivering, Edelgard gazed at her with a great concern that mixed with a sympathetic understanding. She used to be like this, too, especially when the nightmare plagued her sleep during the cold, lonely night. And sometimes, the nightmare crept into the daylight as well. And so, wanting to help the little one to overcome her nightmare, Edelgard hastily searched through her memories to find anything she could do to help. Eventually, she decided to shift the little one gently and rested her head against her chest where a heart should be. Without further resistance, Edelgard held the small frame closed with an embrace, hoping the thumping sound of her heart would ward off the nightmare. Just like when they first met. Just like when Byleth soothed her. Gradually, the trembling was subsided, leaving with only the faint, stable breathing and the small slumped shoulders. It was only when the little child looked up and blinked her amethysts eyes innocently that Edelgard finally let go of the breath she unknowingly held in her tight lung. And it seemed that everyone around her shared the same sentiment as well, especially Byleth, who let out a sigh louder, heavier than anyone with a relief clearly on her face.

After the heavy cloud was cleared, Edelgard cheekily watched her lover hovered her hand over the messy white locks as if trying to pat her head only to be stopped by the blank amethysts eyes that hinted with curiosity and wariness. Seeing that Byleth’s half-serious-half-playful endeavor occupied the girl pretty well, Manuela seized this opportunity to heal up the deep scraped wounds caused by the shackles. However, the second the green light started to form on the girl’s wrist, the little girl snapped her head toward Manuela and retracted her arm into herself as if she was trying to curl up into a ball as much as she allowed to within Edelgard’s hold. The wide emotionless eyes stared at the baffled Manuela, who was at a loss on what she should do to this troubled girl. Fortunately, it was Edelgard who saved the former instructor once again by unrolling the girl and stretched out her small arm with her delicate hand.

“Little one, Manuela is trying to help you to feel better, so be a good girl and stay still, okay?” Edelgard mumbled softly into the impassive amethyst eyes while using the hand that was supporting the girl up to pat her there gently.

The action might have been very comfortable and soothing as the girl did not show any resistance at all throughout the healing process. When Manuela finished, and the girl was finally wrapped up in bandages thoroughly, Edelgard simply let the girl rest in her arms and stared at her peacefully. 

Beside her, Byleth was also staring curiously at the tiny ball until she asked calmly, “So...what’s next?”

“Well. This sweetie has been worked up ever since she awoke. So I suggested that get her to rest more after let her drink some water.” Manuela replied wearily as if she had already used all the energy for just trying to catch up with the girl.

Beside Ferdinand, Lysithea spoke up inquisitively with the same tired tone, “Shouldn’t we take her to a bath first? Or at least changing her clothes? She smells awful, and there’s blood everywhere on her.” 

And it was true. As Edelgard glanced down, she could clearly see that the girl soaked with blood, both old and new, throughout her small frame, and her thin, muddy smock barely hold itself together. But before she could agree out loud with Lysithea, Manuela’s voice interrupted her.

“You could definitely change her cloth, but don’t let her take a bath just yet. Otherwise, her wounds might open again. You’d better leave them for a day or two without any strenuous activities, _including running_.” Manuela finished her advice with an emphasis on those last words that accompanied by a vicious glare on the girl who did not seem to be bothered by it and kept her eyes on Edelgard.

And so, with a curt nod, Byleth echoed what Manuela just said. “So we should let her sleep for now?”

After an affirmative hum from the former instructor, Byleth tilted head to the side and rose her palm while using another hand to support her elbow, a typical gesture she always did when she was thinking. A beat later, she asked curiously toward Edelgard, “where should she sleep then?

With a sheepish smile, Edelgard replied, “Ah. About that, my love. I was about to ask you if you would feel comfortable for the girl to sleep with us tonight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading again!  
> Unfortunately, Edelgard is Edelgard. I used a tag adoption, but when you are talking about her, it will be a long road until then.  
> And Byleth...well Byleth is just being Byleth, having no clue but always has some interesting insight.  
> By the way, changing subject abruptly, I just got a new kitten! She is quite a handful to deal with, so I can't say when I will post the next chapter. I'll try to be on schedule but I can't promise anything. And I learned that I shouldn't promise anything when my brain uses every second of its life to hijack my original plan and make my life miserable...  
> Again, Kudos and comments are always welcome. Stay safe out there and take care!  
> Fun fact:  
> \- Apparently, if your body was exhausted and needed repair, you could sleep for a day or two straight. But for those with severe trauma, they could sleep even longer than that…  
> \- So don’t torture yourself to stay up more than 24 hrs, everyone. Sleep!!  
> \- Lysithea has even lower growth rate for strength and speed than Manuela.  
> \- Manuela is generally good with kids, but sometimes it's just too much.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Song track: Iris - Goo Goo Dolls (Kina Grannis Cover version)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone.  
> Sorry for the delay for this chapter. Last week was quite a hectic for me to deal with the kitten and uni stuff. But the kitty and I slowly adjusted to one another, so I think I should be able to resume my weekly-ish post again, assuming she will watch me type and not HELPING me type. And she's just being too cute for me to ignore her sometime.  
> Also, it was Edelgard's birthday last week, so I did write something for her instead of posting another chapter.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy the first night Edelgard and Byleth spent with the mysterious girl.

The cold wind that blew leisurely outside made its way through the crack and dripped into the confinement of the Emperor’s and her lover’s bed-chamber, piercing every skin it could reach. And that included the thin skin marred with several scars on the little girl who was standing, waiting, for new wear. In front of the girl, Byleth was crouching down to be on the same level with the small child as her calm cobalt eyes stared into the empty amethyst orbs, keeping her eyes just in case the little one decided to run away again. From time to time, Byleth would break their eye contact and glance briefly at those intensive and intentional scars that spread in every inch of the small chest and around the torso. Although most parts of the skinny body were hidden well by the bandages, these severe, revolting scars could still freeze Edelgard in place the second she took off the bloody, ruined smock from the girl. Byleth had to give her beloved a light squeeze on the rigid shoulder and a quiet notion that the girl would catch a cold if she did not find some cloth for her. And that why Edelgard had been rummaging through her old wardrobe with a hustle behind Byleth for a while now. 

As the rustle continued, Byleth turned back to the girl in front of her and slowly stretched out her hand, aiming for the small head. But as she expected, the empty amethyst eyes that quietly followed her hand quickly shifted its current as soon as her hand was above the shaggy snow-white hair, halting her hand in the process. Although the pool of pale amethyst was cloaked by emptiness, somehow, Byleth could sense something resembled wariness from those blank stare and even something more under them. Regardless, this just confirmed what Edelgard had told her that evening when they decided to let the girl sleep with them for the time being. Then, Edelgard had expressed her concerns about the girl’s feeling, saying that she, too, was severely plagued by the darkness and loneliness of the first night after she was released. The Emperor did not get into details much since there were others with them at that time, but Byleth could see through the trembling, painful lilac eyes as clear as day. Thus, they agreed that it would be safer to allow the child to sleep with them, specifically Edelgard whom the little one seemed to attach to, and gave her time to adjust in the new environment before moving her to the more fitting room.

“Found it.”

The sudden voice from behind her brought Byleth back to the undressed girl as she heard Edelgard stepped closer to them. When she was kneeling beside her, Byleth took in the long white nightgown in her hands. Even with a glance, she could immediately know that this sleepwear would be too large for the little girl in front of them. And so, Byleth sent her lover a questioning gaze with a quirked brow as if asking whether this was really for the little one.

Edelgard sighed through her nose slightly and pulled her lip into a subtle frown as she fruitlessly admitted to Byleth’s doubtful face. “This was the nightgown I used before attending Garreg Mach, and it’s the smallest one I had. Other clothes of my childhood were...thrown away when I was…under the palace.”

When Edelgard trailed off at the end with painful, distant eyes, Byleth could feel her heart tightened as if an unknown force got its tight grip on her. And so, she quietly and gently placed her firm hand over the shuddering bear knuckle on the white fabric. They shared a glance of mutual sympathy before the lilac pair blinked away its past and returned to the little girl in front of them with a weak smile that did not reach her eyes. 

“Now. Let’s see how much it can fit you.”

As they expected, the nightgown was too big that its lower part turned into a long train that covered even the floor under the girl’s tiny feet, and it’s sleeves hanged droopily far beyond her small arms. Seeing that this was the best option at the moment, Byleth tried to tie knots here and there so that the silky nightgown would not slip away from its skinny wearer the second that the girl moved. It was one of her many adaptive skills she learned over the years of being a mercenary who had no luxury in spending golds for fitting clothes. After Byleth made sure that the nightgown would be intact on the little child throughout the night, Edelgard gently guided the girl to the grand, feathery bed, being careful not to force her to get into the bed. After a long moment of silence and a blank stare from the amethyst eyes, Edelgard decided to get on and lay down side-way toward the girl at the edge of the bed, patting the fine mattress to lure the little girl in. Fortunately, it took only a few moments for the small child to climb up into the bed before she tentatively and hesitantly crawled to Edelgard as if the softness of the mattress was a peculiar feeling for her. When she reached the woman who also dressed in the white nightgown that covered all of her limp, the little girl promptly nestled herself into Edelgard, asking for the warmth of the scarred skin under the silky fabric. Byleth quietly watched the woman she loved so dearly stroked soothingly through the shaggy snow-white locks as her elegant figure reflected the faint golden moonlight perfectly. It was so perfect that it was almost ethereal for the cobalt eyes to bear. As if such a sight was too much for her heart to handle, Byleth decided that it was time for her to finally do something that had been on her mind ever since the concluded meeting. While Byleth was about to turn her heels toward their bedroom’s door, Edelgard’s faint voice that hinted with genuine curiosity halted her. 

“My love, where are you going?”

Turning back slightly, Byleth replied with a straight face, “I want to read something before going to bed. And I don’t want to disturb you and the kid, so I’ll be by the fireplace in the main room.”

Edelgard nodded slightly without any question evidence on her face. Resuming her track, Byleth suddenly felt self-conscious as she unawarely touched the bulging square area on her black shirt. Suddenly, as if Sothis was trying to tease her and make her life more _fun_ , the hidden item slipped out of her shirt and dropped on the floor with a light thud, revealing the dark leather book Hubert had presented during the meeting. Byleth silently and politely cursed the childlike Goddess as she nervously peered back at Edelgard, who was looking at the notebook of Those Who Slither in the Dark with black cloud hanged over her eyes. Back when they were about to leave the war conference room, Byleth had secretly asked Linhardt to lend her the book for one night so that she could understand what Edelgard, Lysithea, and the peculiar child went through. So that she could help them. Despite the absolute irritation that appeared on his face, Lindhardt gave the notebook to her anyway. Ever since then, Byleth hid it under her shirt and sneakily carried it around without any problems. Never until now.

As she reluctantly bent down to retrieve the dark covered notebook in her hand, she heard Edelgard’s stern voice called out to her with the same tone she used as the Emperor’s mask was on. “Byleth. If that was the book you are about to read, then I must ask you to read it here with me.”

Looking at the flickering fire in those lilac eyes, Byleth steeled herself before she refused the Emperor’s mandate with a firm voice. “I’m sorry, El, but I can’t let you read it. And you know why.”

Edelgard got up slightly on her elbow as she opened her mouth to protest. But Byleth’s firm, yet soft voice full of understanding and concern interrupted her. “It’s not your fault, El.” 

Biting down on her lower lip, Edelgard gazed down at the blank amethyst eyes that looked at her silently before she let go of her words with a tint of distant pain. “It is. Those people. This child. Their lives were sacrificed futilely because of me. If I advanced my attack on that wicked kind faster-- _earlier_ \--they wouldn’t have-” 

“You and I both know you could not do it. They had a tight grip on you.” Approaching steadily to the edge of the bed closed to Edelgard, Byleth continued her firmness as if this time, she would not allow this deleterious thought plagued her lover’s mind anymore.

“I should have struggled more...” Edelgard whispered to no one aside from herself as she distantly toyed with the girl’s snow-white locks in front of her and refused to meet the approaching woman in the eye.

“You had struggled to be free more than enough, El. You’ve been carried so much for so long. Don’t carry more.” Despite her resolved tone, Byleth tenderly placed her warm hand on the fragile shoulder and settled behind Edelgard quietly. 

As the stretched silence went on for a while, and the lilac eyes refused to meet her, Byleth decided to compromise her resolve for the sake of her beloved. “How about this. If I found something that I think you’d want to know, I’ll let you know.”

While the lilac eyes kept refusing to meet the cobalt pair, Byleth noticed the blank stare directed at her way. And so, looking over the pale shoulder, the cobalt eyes were greeted by the unreadable amethyst pair that might have been watching her ever since she sat down on the bed. Curiously, Byleth reached out her free hand to hover over the shaggy snow-white locks. But her attempt to ruffle her hand in those nest still proved to be a futile effort as the little girl quickly turned away and buried herself into Edelgard to avoid Byleth’s touch and sight altogether. 

When a subtle frown adorned Byleth’s face, she heard a light chuckle emerged from the woman below her. “She really favored me over you, huh. What a strange child. Well. I can’t do anything if you insist on reading that book alone anyway. And for the sake of this child, I’ll back down for now. Just…”

“I always keep my words, El.” Byleth was quick to confirm her words as she leaned to press a light, soothing kiss on Edelgard’s temple. And then, when Byleth noticed the same blank stare sent her way again, she looked down to the wide-awake amethyst eyes with a subtle smile. “Hey, kid. Be a good girl with her, okay?”

Without waiting for the answer, Byleth stood up from the bed and leaned down again to briefly press her lip against the soft lip on the pale face. When she parted, a thought flashed within her mind and pulled the corner of her lip into a subtle frown again.

“Ah. Hubert will kill me if he knows I left you alone with the kid.” 

Such a sudden realization of her lover prompted another short chuckle from Edelgard once again as she tilted her head higher to align her lip with another before she said with a smirk, “Well. How could he know if I don’t tell him?” 

The teasing remark urged Byleth to playfully giggle into the kiss they shared lovingly right after. They bid a few more goodnight kiss as they always did before going to bed. And eventually, Byleth pried herself from Edelgard and left the bedroom. As she was in the main room of their bed-chamber, Byleth strode straight toward the aged leather couch in front of the fireplace. After conjuring a small fireball to light up the antique fireplace, she fell flat on the comfy couch with a faint creak and began her private investigation on the content within this dark covered notebook. As Hubert told them during the meeting, the content within the book was quite disturbing even for her. The more she skimmed through the endless pages of words and diagrams, the more Byleth felt uneasy about the content and, at the same time, relieved that she was firm to dispute the Emperor’s stubbornness. Otherwise, this book could potentially reopen so many old scars her lover had. And that was the last thing Byleth wanted to see. A long moment passed as the room was filled with nothing but the soothing crackles of the fireplace, and Byleth found her eyes lid heavy with drowsiness. Not long after, she eventually surrendered herself to the darkness of the dream and fell asleep on the luring couch. 

While Byleth was roaming aimlessly within the realm of stillness, suddenly, a distant thud as if something was yanked onto the floor reached her ears. Suspecting that it could be a potential threat sneaking into the Emperor’s quarter, Byleth pretended to be asleep while secretly peering to observe her surrounding. However, what she saw was not an intruder nor an assassin, but the child, who, somehow, had a familiar crimson cape draped over her small frame, wandered cautiously throughout the room. After easing her tense shoulders, the cobalt eyes quietly followed the little one explored around the room with the faint rustle sound of the cape’s train, refusing to disturb the curious child. But then, the child got closer- _dangerously closer_ \- to the fireplace as if this was her first time seeing the tamed fire. As Byleth felt frantic by the possibility of her to accidentally burn herself, she shot up from the couch and launched herself toward the curious child, determining to get the girl away from the blazing fire. But it was a big mistake. Instead of successfully catching the little one and put her away from harm, Byleth’s sudden action seemed to intimidate the girl as she jerked back and retreated to the nearest wall she could reach. With her back against the solid wall, the little child immediately went into a fighting stance with focused, narrowed eyes, preparing to retaliate any possible threat against her. The second that the cobalt eyes perceived the sight in front of her, Byleth abruptly halted in her track and let the tense air hanged over them. It took a few more moments for Byleth’s mind to start ticking again as it decided that she would better move as subtle as she could muster. And so, Byleth carefully fell on her knees in front of the alarmed girl while keeping a considerable distance. 

After she settled down on the floor, Byleth spoke up softly with a tint of regretful tone, “Shhh. I’m sorry, kid. I scared you, didn’t I? But it’s alright now. Just...” 

As Byleth shifted to crawl closer to the little child, she pushed herself further into the wall as if she was trying to keep a distance with Byleth. So the older woman tried soothing her again with a gentle whisper, fearing that if she voiced any louder, it would scare the girl further. “Shhhh it’s fine. It’s just me. No one is going to hurt you.” 

Seeing that the small shoulders were still stiff like solid metal, Byleth desperately searched through her memories to find anything related to how to calm a child down when they were upset and found none. It should not be a surprise for her since she never interacted directly with any children before. Even her overall social interaction was very limited, considering that she just unlocked the gate to the baffling emotion within her heart not too long ago. Beside extreme emotions such as happiness, love, hate, and fear, it was quite difficult for her to fathom other feelings that, in most cases, were complicated and ambiguous. Fortunately, it seemed that the girl in front of her clearly showed the emotion she knew, fear. While Byleth drifted closer to the scared little girl, the cobalt eyes actively searched for anything that could ease such fear in those amethyst eyes under the dim light of the room. And then, the searching eyes landed on the crimson cape that hanged over the small child, giving Byleth an idea. 

“So...is that Edelgard’s cape?” Byleth carefully asked the little child with a friendly smile as she pointed her finger and the cobalt eyes toward the crimson cape on her. When there was no response, her gaze returned to the snow-white locks and continued, “How did you get that? You must like it a lot, right?” 

It worked. Byleth noticed the amethyst eyes pried away from her and flicked to the large cape over her own shoulder. As the girl reached up to grip protectively on the mantle, Byleth whispered again with a softened feature, “It’s warm and cozy, isn’t it? I like it too.” 

The surrounding air shifted to the more relaxing one as the dim amethyst eyes stared into the soft, cordial cobalt pair as if to find something. Eventually, the little girl might have found what she was looking for and broke the eye contact. Byleth noticed those tiny hands pulled in the crimson cape before she slowly curled down into a small ball and tightly enveloped herself within it as if that was the only thing that could protect her from whatever she feared. The sight somehow prompted Byleth’s heart to feel... heavy, a similar feeling whenever she saw Edelgard suffered from the distant past and blocked herself away from the world in front of her. And so, gradually, Byleth continued drifting closer to the small ball against the wall. When she was right in front of her, Byleth noted the brief glance from the amethyst eyes. However, as there was no further reaction from the girl, Byleth thought she might have calmed down and decided to settle beside the small crimson and white ball. A few more moments passed by as Byleth quietly watched the girl who went still and took a few glances at her from time to time. Thinking that the girl might get more comfortable to her, she carefully hanged her hand above the shaggy snow-white locks. Byleth blinked a few times before she slowly lower down her hand and gently placed it on the white nest. However, as soon as the girl realized the warm touch, Byleth could feel she tensed up again. 

And so, she softly cooed into the small child the same way she always soothed Edelgard when she jolted up from nightmares. “Shhh it’s okay. You’re safe with me, kid. You are safe.” 

Byleth’s hand went still on the shaggy locks until she felt the body below started to lose its stiffness. When she could feel no more dense air around them, Byleth slowly and gently pat the snow-white locks with the utmost tenderness. They stayed like that for a long while until the sleep started to creep into Byleth again as she continued giving the girl a light pat on the head. Before she surrendered herself to the night wind, she peered down at the little girl whose eyes seemed to be somewhere for away from here. And so, Byleth kept patting the girl in hope to bring her back from that distant place and lure her back to sleep as Byleth let out a big yawn. When she felt her eyelids were heavy as a boulder, Byleth took a last glimpse of the amethyst eyes that looked up at her before she, eventually, engulfed by the realm of dream. 

The cold night went by quickly as the fresh sunlight of the beautiful dawn seeped through the curtain and landed on Byleth’s eyelid. However, the warm light was not the culprit that woke her up. Instead, in between the stage of being half-awake-half-sleep, Byleth’s consciousness was poked by a rumbling noise that came from the direction of the bedroom. The sound continued louder and hastier as if the person in the room was trying to find something or someone, but failed miserably, making that person felt even more desperate to search. As Byleth about to lift her heavy eyelid, she heard the door of the bedroom flung open with a loud slam that made her jumped up for a bit on the floor before Edelgard came into her blurry view with a very distressed expression.

“Byleth. Byleth! Where’s the-” 

Edelgard halted mid-sentence as she noticed the small ball who leaned against her sleepy lover with wide-awake amethyst eyes. She immediately let a long sigh of relief before she collapsed in front of the half-sleep Byleth and the bright little girl. 

As if Byleth’s mind just started to catch up to the situation before her, she drowsily slurred to her beloved. “She’s here, El. Don’t worry.” 

“Yes, I can see that although I still could not comprehend why you and the little one are sitting here on the floor instead of the bed.” Edelgard looked at Byleth before gazing to the little girl who looked up at her with her usual blank eyes and continued her confused expression. “Wait. Is that my cape? Why she has it with her?”

When Edelgard was about to ask another question, Byleth gently and sluggishly interrupted her with a subtle frown before she began retelling what happened last night. After she finished, Edelgard let out another sigh as she pinched the bridge of her nose and accompanied her gesture with a worried and disbelieving voice.

“So..it seems like she did not fall asleep with me last night then…” 

Byleth tilted her head to the side as she asked curiously with a more wakeful tone, “She didn’t? I thought she just woke up in the middle of the night and decided to do a little adventure outside the room.”

Sighing through her nose, Edelgard ideally stroked the snow-white locks on the small ball, which still leaned on Byleth nonchalantly, and flashed a brief smile as if she was relieved to see the girl relaxed beside her lover. A beat later, Edelgard told Byleth what happened last night, “I tried to lure her to sleep after you left the room. But as hours went by, she still kept her eyes wide open while mine was so heavy already. And then, I rested my eyes for a bit and fell asleep before her. That’s why I couldn’t tell when she slipped out of my reach and got out of the room like that.”

As she saw a grim expression on the pale face, Byleth comforted her lover with a reassuring smile. “It’s alright, El. She didn’t run away. She just explored for a bit.”

Such a tender expression might have warm Edelgard’s heart as she flashed a subtle smile for the sleepy woman before her. “Well. That’s fortunate. Anyway, I think we should go and get ready for the day, my love.”

The snow-white locks leaned in to kiss Byleth’s lip briefly enough to wake her lover up before Edelgard got up on her feet and gestured toward Byleth to follow suit. Before Byleth climbed up on her feet, she took in a glimpse of the wide amethyst eyes that hinted with nothing, including the drowsiness that should be a leftover from using the uncomfortable floor as a bed. As she stood up and followed her gaze to the girl who walked up to and gripped at Edelgard’s nightgown, Byleth silently wondered why the little girl seemed to recover from the slumber so quickly as if she did not sleep in the first place. Regardless, she let it passed for now and continued her way to get ready for the day. She had to pay close attention to this girl, it seemed. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After the Emperor and the General dressed back into their regalia and armor, they made their way to Edelgard’s office to receive a daily report from Hubert. However, when Edelgard could see a glimpse of the wooden door to her office, she saw two smaller figures with violet hair and snow-white locks instead of a tall black outfit she always greeted every morning. As Edelgard approached them with Byleth on her flank and the little girl quietly trotted behind them with her bare feet, she greeted Bernadetta and Lysithea with a curious face.

“Good morning, Lysithea, Bernadetta. Is there anything you’d want to discuss with me in such an early hour?” 

“Oh good morning, Lady Edelgard, Professor. We were actually um wondering if…” Although she started with such a cheerful tone, Bernadetta trailed off at the end of her words as she sheepishly played with her fingers and refused to meet Edelgard in the eyes. 

As if she lost patient for her timid companion, Lysithea blurted out to finish the sentence on behalf of the shy Bernadetta. “We just wanted to check on the little one. That’s all. Did she sleep alright?” 

“Ah. There were...some unexpected events last night, so It’s difficult to tell for sure. But she was fine and well. Little one? Do you want to come out and greet them?” Edelgard commented with a subtle frown as she recalled the events last night before she gestured to the little girl who was crouching down to play with her cape’s ruffle to come out. 

Sensing that she was called, The amethyst eyes gazed back at the lilac eyes for a brief second before she swiftly shoved herself under the crimson cape. As Edelgard watched the child with eyes full of surprise and bewilderment, suddenly, she felt a small impact caused by the little girl who clung herself to her hip and peeped the emotionless eyes up to the beaming violet eyes and the soft tulip pair. While Edelgard watched Bernadetta knelt down to greet the quiet girl enthusiastically, which was a rare, albeit very welcomed sight to bear, she heard Lysithea curiously commented with quirked eyebrows. 

“This little one seemed only to get attached to you, hm? I wonder why.”

Edelgard looked down at the little girl who was being lured out of the cape by Bernadetta’s candy while she was wondering the same thing. While it was true that she adored children quite a lot because they reminded her of those younger siblings she used to have, most children tended to be wary of her stern manner as the Emperor. But this child somehow clung to her, out of all people, and not even Byleth, who always had the calm and welcomed air floating around lazily, attracting everyone in regardless of how strong their guard was. Such a thought urged a warm fluttering feeling formed inside Edelgard’s abdomen as she felt a tighter grip from the tiny hand who was leaning out from behind her. Edelgard could feel the warm feeling crawled up to her face and formed a subtle smile when she watched the little girl, for some unknown reasons to her, patted the violet locks awkwardly yet lovingly, prompting a sheepish chuckle from Bernadetta who still held onto the candy in hands. 

Suddenly, beside her, Edelgard heard her lover thoughtfully hummed before she commented with her usual flat tone as the shimmering cobalt eyes full of adoration turned to her. “Maybe it’s because you smell nice and very warm. I like that too when I hug you.”

As soon as she heard Byleth said such an embarrassing remark in front of the other two with a straight face as if she was stating a fact to her students, Edelgard chocked on her breath and was forced to cough out loud. The sudden sound made the little girl retracted her hand on the violet locks in an instant as Edelgard felt the amethyst eyes whipped back at her. After Edelgard recovered, she cleared her throat quietly to hide the light shade of pink on her face and remembered to flash a glare toward the messy blue hair who was sending her a charming smirk. When she turned back to her former classmates who smiled dryly, she noticed the dark bags under the tulip eyes.

Feeling concerned about the fragile mage, Edelgard asked Lysithea with a solemn yet tint with a worried voice, “What about your night, Lysithea? How are you feeling?”

The pale tulip eyes lost their light for a brief second before they turned away from Edelgard’s view. “I’m fine. Just...got reminded of some awful memories lately.” 

The faint whisper that hinted with sleeplessness furrowed Edelgard’s brows in deeper concerns while she addressed the snow-white locks in front of her with a firm, albeit gentle voice. “Lysithea. If you, perhaps, are having trouble sleeping, you should go to Manuela. She has some medication or herbs that might help ease your trouble.”

Lysithea sighed through her nose in a mild irritation before pointing to the little girl and reminding the Emperor lightly, “Edelgard. I think your primary concern right now should be the kid behind you, no?”

Edelgard peered at the small figure under her cape for a second before returning her concerned gaze toward Lysithea. “That doesn’t mean I should overlook your hardship. You know I’m always here to help.”

It took a long beat of staring between the resolved lilac and the fatigued tulip eyes before the latter inclined her head slightly in resignation and groaned. “...fine.”

“Good girl.”

After Edelgard flashed a weak smile toward Lysithea, the steady step of the tall shadow drew her attention to the newcomer behind the mage. As Edelgard was about to greet approaching Hubert, a small movement underneath her cape stole her attention away from her retainer. And so, Edelgard looked down to see the little child who, as soon as she saw Hubert, swiftly popped out from the cover. A beat later, the child grabbed Bernadetta by her wrist and dragged her along to hide underneath the crimson cape, ignoring the shocked, terrifying expression on the violet locks as she invaded the Emperor’s territory. As Edelgard gazed down at the sudden strange behavior with wide eyes, the wary child peeked from behind the Emperor to send a grim stare at the towering dark mage who just reached them.

Witnessing the odd reaction from afar, Hubert decided to slip it passed his mind and greeted his lady with a bow instead. “Good morning, Your Majesty.” He paused a beat before giving a slight nod as a greeting for Byleth and Lysithea and stopped in his track when he reached Bernadetta and the child underneath the crimson cape.

“Bernadetta. I hoped that you did not cause any trouble for Lady Edelgard before I arrived, did you?” 

Although Hubert seemed to minimize his usual malicious tone into the mild bitter voice, his words still made the hidden woman jolted visibly through the large cape before she hastily poked out her violet locks from behind the wary child. 

“No no, of course. I’m so sorry! I didn’t do anything, Hubert. I just um this girl just pulled me in here, and I followed her.”

“Then why are you still in there?”

After the scornful expression sent directly to the violet locks, Bernadetta frantically stumbled on her feet and out of the cape, prompting the Emperor to pinch the bridge of her nose in moderate frustration. But before Edelgard could tell her retainer that she did not mind, the small yelp from the violet locks caught her attention. When the lilac eyes shifted to the source of the sound, she saw Bernadetta’s body was only halfway out of the crimson cape as she was stopping by the small hand that gripped lightly on the violet sleeve. Then, the little girl pulled the fabric a few times as if she was telling the violet locks to go back into the cape. Eventually, Bernadetta surrendered to the blank amethyst stare that directed at her and crouched beside Edelgard to persuade the child with a bright, friendly smile.

“I’m sorry, little one. Bernie can’t go in there with you. But you know what? You can come out here with Bernie instead! Hubert won’t be mad at us if we are here and not under Lady Edelgard’s cape. What do you think?”

The replied Bernadetta got came into the form of the blank stare at her. A beat later, the amethyst eyes shifted to Hubert and dimmed its color for a bit as the small hand continued tugging Bernadetta’s sleeve. While the action confused everyone alike, Byleth hummed pensively beside Edelgard and crouched down to bring her calm cobalt eyes to the amethyst eyes that did not meet hers. 

And then, she voiced out her intuition while tilting her head slightly to the side. “Maybe she is afraid of Hubert? Or hate him?” 

The suspicion prompted Hubert’s brows to twist with exasperation while urging Lysithea’s small snicker and Edelgard’s muffled giggle. It was quite unfortunate, but everyone knew how much of the venomous air this dark mage could emit from every single movement of his. And for most people, especially stranger and children, they tended to be scared of such a threatening atmosphere. Regardless of how devoted and kindhearted the man actually was inside, people would already run away from him as soon as those black outfits of his came into their sight. And it was always like this ever since Edelgard knew him when she was just a young girl. 

Nonetheless, since Edelgard wanted to mend her childhood retainer’s reputation, she forced her lip to oppose and controlled her voice to not sound like laughter. “Oh, please, my love. The little one never interacted or be anywhere near Hubert yet. How could she hate him already?” 

A light scoff emerged from another mage beside the tall, dark mage who looked down at her with a slightly pulled down lip and narrowed eyes. “Well. It takes only his menacing air to scare a kid away without having to bother showing his face at all.”

“That and because Hubert was the one who used that bolt cutter. Kid was terrified by that thing.” Without missing a beat, Byleth supplemented the intuition with her own observation from yesterday as she watched the little girl buried herself further into Edelgard. 

When Hubert was about to argue, Lysithea interrupted him by standing in between the retainer and the little child before guiding him away lightly. “Now, now. Can you stay away from her at least for these first few days? I don’t want her to feel terrified or threatened. Otherwise, she might try to run away again.”

While Lysithea was trying to drag him away, Hubert, standing tall without a flinch against such a minor strength, turned his solemn, yet cryptic golden eyes toward the cautious amethyst pair. The two stared down at each other for a while as if they were sending a silent challenge against each other. 

Eventually, the golden eyes retreated into its curtain as Hubert plainly remarked with a heavy hum, “Do what you want. I don’t care. You’re just a mere child anyway. Just make sure you do not cause any trouble for Lady Edelgard.” While Lysithea started to give up on pushing the towering black mage away, Hubert shifted back to Edelgard and bowed slightly before relaying his news to the Emperor. “Before I excuse myself as suggested by Lady Lysithea, I do have a crucial matter I need to tell you, Your Majesty. Upon your order from yesterday, I already contacted your uncle and requested him to meet with you to discuss this child’s circumstance. Unfortunately, as much to my own loathing, he refused.”

“Refuse? He never refuses my invitation before...” Edelgard exclaimed with a surprised tone before her face shifted to a stern, pensive one. This was quite unusual for her uncle. Usually, he was always eager to visit her, both with and without invitation, to solely remind her of what her role was and how much they had an invisible chain on her and those around her. Thus, refusing to see her like this could mean several things, including…

As the Emperor gazed down at the little child under her cape with contemplation, Hubert excused himself quietly. “I’ll try to pry into this more. For now, I must excuse myself, and I’ll come to you again if I find anything, Lady Edelgard.” Hubert humbly bowed and left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Rising my fists into the sky* FINALLY.  
> The night scene was one of MANY moments I really wanted to write. I really hope I delivered them alright. *Shaking nervously*  
> By the way, I just wanted to clarify that I like Hubert. He's a good and kind man, but I would be lying if his surfaced personality did not spook be a bit at first...  
> What? He's just a fictional character, and he can't hurt me? I know. But still...orz
> 
> Okay so next week I have two big assignments coming up. That's why I tried posting this chapter earlier, so I could start on the next one early too. It will be another busy week for me...  
> But there's the scene I REALLY wanted to write too and I'm being impatient for my slow-writing brain. Somehow I think this impatient side will eventually backfire on me someday...I hope not though.  
> ANYWAY, thank you for reading. Kudos and Comments, as always, are welcome! I'd love to hear what you think. With that, don't forget to take care of yourself and stay safe.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Song track: E:verydaytor 4 - Re:Creators OST by Hiroyuki Sawano

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there!  
> Unfortunately, this chapter would be a bit shorter than usual. (Though I'm actually not sure what my usual length actually is....?).  
> Like I said in the previous note, my two assignments really got me feel a bit burned out from writing. That's why I decided to include fewer sequences in this chapter than I anticipated.  
> However, I did feel like it was still just about right.  
> So I hope you enjoy the ride of a fun time here nonetheless!

After that morning, the day went by like a blink of an eye. While the Emperor was busy scrunching up her nose in disgust and squashing her lilac eyes in exasperation at the pile of letters sent by disowned nobles, Byleth quietly organized the parchment according to whom and what unit they needed to sent them over. Since the Emperor insisted that she did not want Byleth to involve in the dull and ghoulish politics, she only asked for her lover to help with minor things outside the gruesome task. After all, Edelgard would never allow her beloved to go insane just like her. From time to time, however, Edelgard would catch the cobalt eyes searching around the room for the mucky small figure in the large white nightgown. Sometimes, she even saw her lover paused the task and secretly followed the little explorer around. It was such an adorable sight that somehow helped to ease Edelgard’s headache quite well. 

When lunch came, Edelgard made sure the food included something that would not upset the little girl’s stomach. According to Manuela, they should only provide the girl with a meal that was easy to digest, such as a soup or a rice gruel. After the child recovered and her digestive system worked better, then they could give her a real meal, and perhaps some sweets. Regardless, Edelgard would be lying if she said she did not feel a bit anxious when she carried the child to the table full of meats, rice, bread, and many more. She settled the mucky child down on the chair in front of a bowl of lukewarm soup and moved her own chair to sit close to the quiet child, who stared blankly at the stream coming out of the sticky white liquid. They stayed like that for a few moments as Edelgard quietly observed the little child and wondered how she would react to the food. At the same time, the shaggy snow-white locks curiously looked back and forth between the lilac eyes and the various food in front of her. Many ticks of the old clock went by before the little girl decided to sniff at the soup. The second that her tiny nose touched the scent of the sweet corn and faint herbs, Edelgard spotted a flash of glimmer in the amethyst eyes as a trail of liquid dribbled down the slightly opened mouth. A beat later, the small figure dipped her head into the bowl of soup while using her tiny hand scooped up the liquid in haste as if this was the first time she tasted something like this. And apparently, she really liked it. Fearing that the girl could have choked on the soup, Edelgard mustered all of her mental strength to pry the bowl from the small grip before she took in the amethyst eyes that dimmed its bright sparkle for a bit. While Edelgard tried to feed the messy girl with a spoon properly and avoided the tiny hands to grab hungrily at the bowl, at the corner of her eyes, she spotted the stare from the cobalt eyes who was, unsurprisingly, drooling. In the end, after Edelgard unintentionally let out a warm smile and slightly shook her head, she took a turn to scoop the soup for the girl and the fish for her beloved. Not long after, they finished the meal with Byleth lovingly scooped food for Edelgard as well. There was a little chaos on the table, but Edelgard would not complain a bit. 

The afternoon came by when the Emperor and the General had to attend the meeting for the day. Because Edelgard did not want to leave the child alone, she decided to bring her to the throne room with them. Arriving at the throne room earlier, Edelgard left the child to sit behind her grand, golden throne while Byleth stood at her flank and quietly checked on the girl from time to time. Fortunately, the child was still and quiet throughout the whole meeting as if she understood what Edelgard asked her, but the Emperor made sure to end the meeting early anyway. After everyone was gone and only the Prime Minister and the Minister of the Imperial Household were the only two left, the Emperor casually carried the little child onto her shoulder, which prompted subtle wary eyes from the towering dark mage. And together, they made their way to the Emperor’s office as the little girl comfortingly rested her round chin on the solid shoulder. 

“What do you say, Professor? Would you be so kind as to accept my humble favor?”

The bright, energetic sound that came from the brilliant orange head echoed throughout the hallway, mixing well with the footsteps on the polished floor and the thoughtful hummed from the messy navy blue hair. Seeing the pensive expression adorned her beloved’s face, Edelgard decided to supply more information for her even though she instinctively knew that Byleth would undoubtedly accept this favor sooner or later.

“It will be the very first school in Fodlan that provides students with a variety of subjects besides the fighting schema and gives every student, regardless of their birthright, a sponsorship for their basic educations. You will have the opportunity to teach various different things and meet several students from a different household, my love. I’m sure you will like it. But of course, if you simply did not want to, then we can just seek out for others.” 

As the cobalt eyes flashed a gleam of excitement, Edelgard could not resist to let out a subtle smile at the sight. Even though Byleth was made to take up the job as a professor back in the Academy’s days, Edelgard could see the radiant cobalt eyes, the calculated demeanor, and the content smile whenever she taught something, regardless of how trivial the task was. It was a side of her lover that Edelgard missed seeing it greatly. After all, the kind, attentive teaching was among the first few traits that made the young princess fell for the mysterious Professor. Besides, Edelgard thought that with a teaching job at hand, it might keep Byleth busy and lessen the time the cobalt pair stared blankly into the distance with some emotions Edelgard could not fathom. In any case, Edelgard was sure that her lover would enjoy being a professor again. And as she expected, Byleth eventually sent a curt nod with a subtle, enthusiastic smile to Edelgard and Ferdinand a while later. 

With that, Ferdinand eagerly exclaimed with a beam, “Marvelous! I will send you any further detail as soon as I can. However, the school will be opening up soon, so it would be helpful if you could provide some insights for me, Professor.”

After that, the Emperor, the former Professor, and the Prime Minister actively consulted with one another regarding the vision of education they shared while the towering dark mage quietly followed behind. The golden eyes automatically skimmed through their surrounding as if this was the man’s second nature, and then the keen eyes suddenly landed at the pair of amethyst eyes that could have been staring at him for a considerable time. The still, blank stare emitted an atmosphere that somehow urged Hubert to stare back with the same dynamism. The minutes passed by as the intensity between the golden eyes and the amethyst pair elevated. Hubert started to tune out his surroundings and focused solely on the still smaller eyes as he unknowingly stepped into the challenge posed by the amethyst eyes, which he thought was nothing but a mere child. They continued their silent game as no one dared to blink their eyes for how long neither of them knew. The only thing they knew was the increased intensity of the stare they shared. 

“Hubert?” 

In the instance that his name reached his consciousness, Hubert snapped back into the long hallway with Edelgard’s sudden, stern voice and reluctantly pried his golden eyes away from the amethyst pair to meet his lady. Before him, Edelgard shifted her head slightly to take in her retainer’s figure while another two sets of eyes fully faced the man with confusion evident in them, standing still in the middle of the way. 

A beat of silence passed before Edelgard quirked her brow in a mild puzzlement and asked, “You have been quiet for a while now. Is everything alright?” 

As Hubert resumed his composure once again, he humbly bent down to address the Emperor’s question with a solemn voice as if nothing happened. “Of course, Your Majesty.” 

The Emperor slightly nodded before she turned back to continue their conversation and resumed their way to the office. While the dark mage continued following behind, his eyes drifted back to the small amethyst pair over his lady’s shoulder. However, this time, Hubert could sense a different current inside those pool of amethyst as they blinked nonchalantly at him. Something that was not there before. Something like...a glimpse, perhaps. A faint glimpse of a triumph.

Feeling a tad bit offended, Hubert narrowed his eyes in indignation as he unknowingly let out a word full of exasperation. “...You...” 

“What is it, Hubert? Did you say something?” After hearing the murmured from his lover, Ferdinand whipped back to Hubert with a face filled with bewilderment and concern, drawing attention from the Emperor and the General in the process.

After realizing that he accidentally let out another inappropriate manner, Hubert cleared his throat for a few times before straightened up to reply with his usual deep voice, “It’s nothing.” 

When the party of three reluctantly resumed their track, Hubert silently criticized the immature demeanor that allowed the mere child to bother with a man like him. But when he was met with the amethyst eyes again, he was reminded of his defeat again. Those small orbs were a reminder that he definitely just lost to this mere child in their informal silent competition. If the girl in front of him knew how to smirk, she would have smirked at him right now. 

Such a thought urged a frail flame ignited inside the towering man as he breathed out a deep, grave mumble. “Next time. Child. Next time.” 

“What?” 

“It’s nothing, Ferdinand.”

With a quick reply, Hubert purposefully strode longer to closer his distance with the bright orange hair, avoiding the amethyst eyes in the process. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the second night with the little child came, Byleth and Edelgard were so determined to lull the girl to sleep before them. They wanted to ensure that the child had an adequate amount of sleep and would not slip out of the room again this time. However, even after the ancient clock drifted past midnight, there was not even a remnant of drowsiness flashed within the impassive amethyst eyes. Even when Edelgard already dozed off with her head was still supported by her elbow, and her arm loosely enveloped the small figure, the little child only blinked slowly at the swayed snow-white locks. After Byleth quietly shifted to rearrange her lover to the more comfortable position gently, she laid beside her and continued keeping her sleepy eyes on the small ball. Unfortunately, or perhaps it was a fortunate one, after many peaceful nights with Edelgard’s warm, delicate body cuddled in her arms, Byleth began losing the ability to stay awake for the whole night. And that was why she started to doze off not long after Edelgard, resulting in the failed attempt to watch the little girl sleep before her. 

When the fresh sunlight cracked, Byleth’s eyes opened, she jolted up abruptly from the soft mattress and landed her half-lidded eyes on the two snow-white hair figures beside her. After a beat of relief, it was quickly replaced by a mild concern as the wide-awake amethyst eyes under the delicate arm glanced at Byleth. While Byleth let out a big yawn, the little girl shifted slightly to reveal her face, which showed no drowsiness lingered on it, to Byleth, stirring up the older snow-white locks in the process. After Byleth and Edelgard fully awoke, they agreed that they should take the girl to Manuela. Besides, the child needed a daily examination anyway. Thus, Byleth found herself yawn into the empty infirmary in the early morning as her dozy cobalt eyes tried their best to perceive the sight of the child tightly clung onto Edelgard in front of troubled Manuela. It took a long moment for Manuela to inspect all the wounds under the stained bandage with the help of Edelgard in shifting the girl around on her lap. All the while, Byleth tried using various toys she found around the room to distract the little child away from the physician and explained Edelgard’s and her concerns about the girl’s sleeplessness. Eventually, the child, who used to be covered with bandaged from head to toe, now leaned comfortably against the crimson regalia and had far fewer bandages on her, exposing more skinny, scarred skin to the warm breeze of the morning.

As Manuela collapsed in her seat with a sigh, she pondered over what Byleth and Edelgard told her for a moment before she voiced her thought and suggestion. “This little one might need more time to adjust her habit during the night. But don’t worry, just try to lull her to sleep as much as you can. Hmmm. Considering that most of her wounds already healed pretty well, maybe we can give her a nice bath and see if it helps her sleeps.” 

At first, Manuela was about to call for servants to come in and take the girl to a shower. However, Edelgard stopped the physician as she insisted that Byleth and herself would handle the little one themselves. Despite the Emperor’s refusal to provide any reasons for her peculiar command, Byleth could fathom that it might have to do with the various deep scars on the small body, which could potentially raise more unnecessary suspicion. More importantly, Byleth knew that the Emperor did not trust any servants enough to let them see those revolting scars. And so, after a few more casual converse, Byleth and Edelgard excused themselves to get back to their quarter. While they were on their way, Edelgard made sure to pass her office and asked Hubert to postpone everything in their schedule for this afternoon as well as requesting him a suitable cloth for the little girl. Despite the mild disapproval from the retainer, he reluctantly complied anyway. 

A few moments later, Byleth and Edelgard finally arrived back at their bedchamber where they swiftly changed back to the more casual attire while the little one glanced around the majestic private bathroom with an impassive expression. Not long after, Byleth was in her usual plain black shirt and short while Edelgard was in her white tunic that embroidered with gold pattern and crimson flowers. And then suddenly, a faint knock reached their ears. Thus, Byleth made her way to the grand wooden door to their quarter before she met the loyal retainer with a fresh pile of small clothes and various toiletries that labeled with _for extra soft skin._ After thanking the man briefly, the messy navy blue hair carried everything back to their private bathroom, where she caught her lover went still in front of the undressed girl again. As she approached the kneeling woman, Byleth noticed the larger, albeit equally pale fingers vacantly traced along with the wounds and scars that just revealed themselves out of the cover of the bandages. She was such a tiny creature, yet she bore the permanent stains that only a few men could bear. After a moment of stillness and the blank amethyst stare, Byleth decided to crouched down beside her lover as she lightly bumped her broad shoulder against the pale, slumped one. The touch might have brought the snow-white locks back from wherever she was as the dim lilac eyes glanced back at the warm cobalt pair. 

So Byleth asked with a soothing smile and a melodious tune, “El. Do you want to take care of the water for me?” 

A beat passed before the lilac eyes softened into the pair of orbs that Byleth genuinely adored as Edelgard replied with a weak smile, “Yes...that would be nice. Thank you, my love.” 

They shared a glance for a few more beats before Edelgard gradually got up to her feet. She beckoned Byleth to give her the bath supplies for the girl before she turned to the bathtub not far from them to prepared the space and to fill in the water. Turning back to the little child, Byleth was greeted with the side of the shaggy snow-white hair whose blank amethyst eyes followed the movement of another woman with the same pale locks. While waiting for the bathtub to be ready, Byleth thought that she could use this time to invite the little girl to be more familiar with her. 

And so, with a warm, welcoming smile, Byleth spoke up softly, “How are you feeling, kid?” 

As if knowing that someone was talking to her, the emotionless amethyst eyes returned themselves to the bright cobalt pair before the answer to the casual question came in the form of a slowed blink. It was such an indifferent act that other people could easily dismiss it as a meaningless sign. However, for Byleth, this was just an act that could be equivalent to a worthwhile answer, such as a nod or an okay. A form of communication that she was so familiar with. 

Thus, feeling as if the little child got more comfortable around her, Byleth’s smile grew a bit wider as she contentedly nodded. “Good. I promised you. You will feel so good after taking a dip in the water.” 

Suddenly, a dull, blasting splash of water striking down against the glossy, marble surface echoed within the bathroom, sending the incautious child jumped up like a startled kitten and launched herself into solid muscle. With the unexpected additional weight on her, Byleth lost her balance and stumbled on to the cold tile as she intuitively embraced the little one. While the wide amethyst eyes whipped toward the source of the sudden sound, Byleth tried to calm her down with the equally surprising cobalt pair. 

“Hey, hey. It’s okay. It's just water.” 

At the corner of her eyes, Byleth noticed the guilty pale face glanced back at the little child in her arms with a tight grip on the closed tab as if the sight prompted pangs of guilt potently struck the older snow-white locks. A brief silence hanged over them as the wide, wary amethyst eyes never left the marble bathtub. 

While Byleth patted lightly on the stiffened figure, she heard Edelgard spoke up with a rare, uncertain tone, “Byleth, do you think we should stop? She seems so…frightened.” 

Carrying the tense child up, Byleth slowly approached where Edelgard was as she felt the more steps she took, the tighter the tiny hands clutched on her bare skin. All the while, the messy blue hair tried to maintain her composure and a calm, reassuring voice. “It’s alright, El. The loud noise just surprised her a bit. I’ll keep her still.” 

There was a conflict evident on Edelgard’s pale face as her light brown eyebrows knitted together in the center of her forehead. While Byleth understood that Edelgard did not want to make the girl did anything against her will, what the frail child really needed right now was a peaceful sleep and a refreshing bath. And she knew Edelgard was aware of these needs too. Eventually, Edelgard let out a heavy sigh before she glanced her dull lilac eyes at the rigid ball within Byleth’s arms for a brief second and turned back to the bathtub. While Edelgard was getting ready to resume her task, Byleth slowly shifted the wide amethyst eyes toward the bathtub, prompting the small limp to thrust chaotically and pierced her fingers into the tight muscle. Although her heart felt tight at the sight of the scared girl and her arms ached from the small, albeit strong hands, Byleth carefully lowered herself and the little child into the water in the bathtub and slightly nodded toward Edelgard. With that, the older snow-white locks reopened the tab and let the water ran down into the marble bathtub once again. At the same time, the child struggled harder and rougher, refusing to stay still. Fearing the child could hurt herself or run away, Byleth tightened her arm that wrapped around the thin torso and strengthened her grasp on the tiny hand. Edelgard quickly cupped some water in her palms and poured them over the skinny arm Byleth held, which urged more struggle from the child who was thrashing her free hand and legs wildly. Byleth was watching the dry blood strains dripped down the small arm and contaminated the clear water below as she quietly thought that this situation could not be any worse. 

Suddenly, all Byleth could see was the high ceiling of the bathroom and the flash of glowing light with a symbol at the corner of her eyes. During the brief moment that her mind blanked out, Byleth’s hold weakened and accidentally let the little child out of her hands. Byleth felt her back leaned on the edge of the bathtub before she saw a white silhouette jumped over her numb body. Her mind and her senses were frozen for how long she did not know. But it took Edelgard’s muffled voice calling out for her to bright Byleth back to the bathroom and, a bit later, to the concerned and shocked lilac eyes. It was then that she comprehended the situation at hand as she absentmindedly touched her reddened, throbbing chin. Apparently, the child who used to be within her arms gave her a not-so-gentle punch in her chin. Luckily, since the blow was, perhaps, unintentional and random, it was not a direct hit. Even so, the fraction of the small hand still scraped passed Byleth’s chin with enough impact that made her mind went blank for a brief second. When Byleth fully regained her consciousness and took in the sight of the Edelgard’s distressed face, she immediately followed the little culprit who, as fast as she was always, was already out of the bathroom. After that, there was a little game of cat and mouse between the messy blue hair and the shaggy snow-white locks around the Emperor’s quarter with an outburst of chaotic pounding steps. It took the ex-mercenary for a long while before she could catch the squirming child back into the bathtub only to start their cat and mouse game all over again when the persisted child managed to slip out of her hold. With a lot more struggles and hardship in which Byleth and Edelgard went through during this small window of time that felt like an eternal, eventually, the little child was properly dressed with a suitable cloth and contently settled down on the bed with a bright, fresh, and fragrant steam. In stark contrast to the girl, Byleth and Edelgard, who soaked from head to toe with both sweat and water alike, were leaning limply on the foot of their bed and sprawled deadly on the solid floor as if they just had an intense battle that lasted for several days. 

“That was...quite a great exercise,” Edelgard said weakly with a tint of a smirk in between their attempt to gasp for air in which Byleth could do nothing but replied with a weak nod beside her. 

All the while, Byleth inwardly scolded herself for underestimating bathing someone else besides herself. And she could guess that Edelgard might feel the same thing as she glanced at the pale, exhausted face. They really had no idea bathing a child could be this messy and devastating. And, of course, they regretted doing it at all. Byleth inhaled and exhaled deeply to steady her breath before she took a peek at the little culprit on the bed above them, expecting to see a tiny monster hissing at them and punishing them for betraying her hard-earned trust. But what she saw instead was a little girl who was sniffing all over her own body and her slightly tamed hair with a sparkle that was visible in the amethyst orbs. Byleth observed her in silence as the little girl stopped abruptly when the tiny nose reached to the cloth she wore. It was a knee-length dress with a dull scarlet shade and a white curved belt, adorning with black and gold embroidered pattern throughout the fabric. There were also long white socks and comfortable brunette sandals the came together as a set. However, the child had proved that she loathed those stuff, so Byleth and Edelgard gave up to put them on. Nonetheless, as the girl resumed her rustle on the mattress, feeling content with the scent and the softness of the delicate fabric, she snuggled into her cloth as if it was the softest thing she had ever experienced. Byleth lifted herself up on the mattress in the hope of having a better view of the child before she smiled fondly at sight. 

“You like it, kid?” 

Of course, Byleth whispered her remark more to herself rather than the little child who was quietly relishing the feathery material before she heard Edelgard spoke up, “I must thank Hubert later for somehow choosing the very right size of cloth for the little one.” Edelgard paused to lift herself up to where Byleth comfortably rested her head on the mattress before she continued as the soft lilac eyes watched the little girl who was curling into a small ball around herself, “Also, I will remember to ask the servants to prepare a set of clothes and a proper room for her by tomorrow. I hope she will like them too.” 

As Edelgard finished voicing her thought out loud, Byleth nodded in both agreement and acknowledgment. If the child got her own private time, then it might help her regain her confidence and courage to be her true self again. Just thinking about the possibility that the little one could get her own agency back sent overwhelmed feelings through Byleth’s chest. Despite not knowing what most of these feelings were, Byleth found herself would not mind. As long as the girl was able to be herself again, then that was all the matter. While the messy blue hair was deep in thought, she unknowingly reached out her hand and hovered it over the long, messy snow-white locks, hoping to ruffle the nest out of pure adoration. However, she abruptly halted her hand in the air as she realized that the gesture might upset the child and ruined this pleasant moment. Before Byleth could retract her hand back, however, the bright amethyst eyes noticed the lingered hand. As much to Edelgard’s and her surprise, the messy snow-white nest shifted closer and bumped into the warm hand as if the child finally accepted Byleth. And so, with wide eyes filled with surprise and delight, Byleth slowly and carefully ruffled the pale nest. As she saw the little girl closed her eyes in contentment, Byleth whipped her shiny cobalt eyes to the soft lilac eyes, prompting a warm smile appeared on Edelgard’s face. For a long while, they silently enjoyed the sight unfolded before them as Byleth lovingly interlaced her free hand with Edelgard’s delicate one. If bathing the child could result in this pleasant moment, then Byleth would be more than grateful to undergo a few more struggles during the bathing process without complaining about a single word. 

Eventually, it was Edelgard who broke the comfortable silence with a concerned voice as she turned to Byleth and ghosted her fingers over the reddened chin. “By the way, how is your chin, my love? She hit you hard, didn’t she?” 

“It’s alright. I think her punch just scraped against my chin.” 

While Byleth massaged her lower jaw absentmindedly with Edelgard’s hand hovering over her face, a certain thought popped up into her mind like lightning struck down the ground in the stormy night. If the child’s small punch could possess this degree of impact, then...

And so, Byleth called out to Edelgard with a serious tone as if she was preparing for a battle with a matter of life and death, “El.” 

After slightly tilting her head at the sudden change of tone, Edelgard simply replied, “Yes, my love?” 

Turning her serious cobalt eyes to the confused lilac pair, Byleth continued with a grave tone and a straight face, “Don’t accidentally activate your crest while we are in bed, please?”

“What?” 

Edelgard exclaimed with a quirked brow as she had no idea why her lover raised this topic out of the blue and even more clueless what it meant. As Edelgard pondered on Byleth’s words for a few seconds, suddenly, a wave of crimson engulfed the pale face in the instance a realization drew on it. 

Seeing that her lover might begin to understand what she meant, Byleth continued with a subtle frown, “I know you cannot control yourself at that stage, but can you at least try?” 

Edelgard still struggled to form a coherent word until the crimson face, which started to spread its color to her ears and chest, looked away from the worried cobalt eyes, “I-I yes, o-of course. I never wanted to hurt you, so I will try, I...guess?” 

With an assurance from her beloved, Byleth sighed in relief before she turned her gaze back to the comfy amethyst eyes. She decided to let the crimson face, which was currently covered with the elegant hands, slipped out of her mind as she concentrated on her own trail of thought instead. 

_Alright. At least El won’t accidentally break our bed if the nightmare comes back. That would be dangerous for her._

Eventually, after the pale face with a tint of pink decided to reveal itself, and the soaked fabric began piercing its cold into the skin underneath, they gradually carried each other up to get change. A few moments later, they agreed to try luring the little child into a long-overdue sleep before Edelgard laid on her side with an elbow and patted lightly on the small figure. After inserted herself behind Edelgard and snugly rested her head on the delicate shoulder, Byleth watched the vivid amethyst orbs with a softened feather, bidding a goodnight in silence. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you for reading!  
> Yes, I think you could tell which events I really REALLY wanted to write for so long.  
> I don't know if I delivered them as the way my imagination came up with. I hope it did though.  
> If not...well, I promised you that it was a lot funnier in my head. orz
> 
> Just a little update, this month would be a really busy month for me with so many university stuff (+ the very playful/needy kitten).  
> And so, unfortunately, I think I need more time to write each chapter and it will be difficult for me to keep up with the schedule. It means that I might not be able to post regularly anymore. But it's just for this month though.  
> Anyway, remember to take care of yourself and stay safe!
> 
> Fun fact:  
> \- Hubert, a tall scary man who is afraid of height, wants to be a Pegasus knight, is very perceptive and caring for his trusted friends, and gets very competitive when challenged by a child… :)  
> \- Manuela was the one who brought a few toys that Byleth used to distract the child in the infirmary. Manuela figured that these things might make the girl feels happier to see her and is willing to be in the infirmary more than the last time she's in there.  
> \- There is common knowledge around my community that if you get a child to have her own room, sleep alone on her own bed, and take responsibility for herself, she will be more confident and responsible as a grown up. And they said the earlier, the better. I’m not opposing this or anything, but I think it might not work for every child, especially the very young one. That’s all.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Song track: It’s hard to be human - Kina Grannis
> 
> Lullaby: Safe and sound - Taylor Swift Cover by Jayesslee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhhhhhhhhh  
> I missed writing so much, but my university's assignments prevent me to enjoy my imagination here. Too bad.  
> But I'm glad I can finally finish this chapter.  
> There's still some place I don't feel 100% satisfied yet, but my head refused to tell me why.
> 
> Anyway, without further ado, I hope you enjoy the roller coaster.

“So, that’s why you and Professor look dreadful even though it fairly passes midday.”

As the melodious tone from Dorothea’s concluded remark echoed through the palace garden, Edelgard weakly nodded before relishing herself with the relaxing aroma of the bergamot tea in hands, hoping to regain her strength to carry on for the day. After recovering enough energy to speak, Edelgard slowly lowered down her cup onto her lap as the weary lilac eyes glanced into the sympathetic emerald pair that hinted with a faint surprise. As Edelgard thought about the whole story in which she had not told the songstress yet, the delicate lip let out a heavy sigh and a voice that no longer had the same weight as the Emperor’s tone. 

“We tried to get her to sleep afterward. But it turned out that bathing her not only had proved to be futile but also resulted in the opposite effect.”

As she whined out, the tired lilac eyes drifted toward the small child and Petra who were sitting on the fresh, sweet-scent grass not far from the large blanket where Edelgard and Dorothea were sitting on. While Edelgard quietly watched the girl enjoyed herself with Petra, who was speaking to the smaller figure with her native language, she recalled back to what happened only an hour before. Initially, she and Byleth thought that the bath would help the child sleep better. However, it seemed that the fresh, fragrant scent had prompted the bright, vivid light to replace the dim, pale amethyst eyes completely. And of course, their attempt to let the little one slept for the day was utterly unavailing. Thus, they decided to give up and attend to their respective duty for now. While Byleth had to attend the meeting with the Prime Minister regarding the new Academy in Enbarr, Edelgard was left with the child who seemed to be eager to explore the palace. Eventually, with no urgent matter for the Emperor to attend to, she decided to relax in the garden for a bit, hoping that the tranquility of the private garden would calm the gleam within those amethyst eyes well. On their way, while Edelgard was keeping her ears to the soft pitter-patter sound of the tiny bare feet that followed her closed behind, Dorothea and Petra found them. 

As usual, as soon as the couple came into the sight, the little child swiftly hid under the crimson cape, and the only thing they could see was the wary amethyst eyes. Surprisingly, this time, it only took a few moments before the child lowered her guard and slowly came out of the cover. It might be because of Petra who soothed the child with her native language, a language that somehow sounded more genuine, softer, more like a song than the Fodlan’s language, or it could be Dorothea’s melodious voice that calm the child down. Nonetheless, the little one seemed to warm up to Dorothea and Petra pretty well and gradually clawed out of the crimson cape in every step they took. Such a sight urged a warm feeling to bloom within Edelgard’s chest, which soon developed into a subtle smile by the time they settled themselves on the large, soft blanket and a nice tea in the serene garden. However, even when the little one eventually revealed herself from the cover and shifted considerably closer to Dorothea and Petra, she never truly left Edelgard’s side. Edelgard thought as she came back to the present time and glanced at the small hand that gripped on the very far end of her crimson cape while the owner of that hand quietly watched Petra bending and reshaping the fallen branches into, perhaps, some kind of animals. 

Suddenly, Dorothea’s bright chuckle brought Edelgard back to the amusing emerald eyes who sat comfortably in front of her. “So this little one really makes our almighty Emperor and unparalleled Professor a hard time, huh? And here I thought our Black Eagles class was the worst both of you could possibly have. What an interesting child.”

Edelgard let out a faint chuckle at the remark as she recalled the time when she was just a class leader at the Academy. While the Black Eagles class used to be quite a handful for Edelgard to handle, Byleth had proved that the boisterous group of drastically different students was nothing to the great tactician like her. But with this little one, it was more than just a handful for her and Byleth even though she was just one child compared to the thirteen Black Eagles students at that time. Even Byleth did not seem to know what to do with the peculiar child sometimes. Perhaps it was because they were a different kind of handful. Nonetheless, she could not deny that this little child did give her and Byleth a rough time, to say the least. But it was a time she, and she assumed that Byleth, too, was more than willing to go through. 

While Edelgard’s trail of thought brought her along with its current, she spotted Dorothea glanced at the child and her lover before the songstress continued with furrowed brows and a tone that lost all of its amusement and brightness, “Speaking of her, I’m sure you might notice this by now, Edie. But she’s not really expressive like a child around her size supposed to, right? Should we be concerned? Like she never smiled, laughed, cried, or even talked at all. So far, what we only saw was when she was afraid of something. But even so, her face showed very little expression.”

Upon hearing her closed companion’s observation, Edelgard’s feature saddened with a tint of empathy. Of course, she noticed that the little girl’s emotion seemed to be particularly more subtle than any child around her age. There was no doubt that only a few could read her expression. But a few did not mean none. Thus, Edelgard turned back to the solemn emerald eyes with a softened expression before she slightly shook her head and disagreed with a weak smile.

“You might not notice it, but I believe there’s something...something more than fear underneath those small blank stare of hers. Sometimes, I could even see those little eyes brighten up with excitement, curiosity, or contentment.”

Dorothea quirked her brow slightly in awe before it replaced by a teasing smirk that told Edelgard that she was up to something. “You are as perceptive as ever, Edie. No wonder why you were the only one who could see through those piercing blank eyes all those years ago.”

Even without explicitly stating the name, Edelgard immediately knew who Dorothea was talking about. After all, there was only one another blank stare they knew. And so, Edelgard let out a faint scoff at the songstress’s teasing remark that inwardly made her proud of her past self, trying her best to ignore the warmth that slowly crawled up onto her face. 

“None of you just paid enough attention to her. If any of you had restrained your ever so rumbustious spirit for a considerable degree and carefully looked into those eyes, then you would definitely see what I saw.”

Within a beat, Dorothea’s smirk grew wider and developed into a grin that prompted Edelgard to restlessly shifted her position a bit before the songstress sang her usual mischievous song for the Emperor. “Oh, Edie. Admit it that no one could do that except you. Not to mention that all you did for the whole day was making those googly eyes at your crush.” 

As Dorothea finished with a wink, the faint shade of pink crept onto the Emperor’s pale facade, and her lip immediately retorted back with a firm tone. “I did not.” 

Dorothea finally released her muffled chuckles and looked at Edelgard with a glimpse of mischievous glimmer in the emerald eyes as if she did not believe in those three words at all. While Edelgard was about to open her lip to protest further, another set of calm voice hinted with curiosity interrupted her from behind. 

“What did you do?” 

The sudden voice prompted a light jolt from Edelgard and a deepened shade of pink on her face before she blurted out the newcomer’s name with a desperate attempt to stable her voice. “Byleth. It’s nothing. Did you finish the meeting already?”

Byleth tilted her head slightly to the side at the Emperor’s peculiar reaction and the sudden change of subject. Spotting intense anticipation in those flickering lilac eyes, Byleth decided to let it passed and nodded to answer the question instead. Edelgard stole a brief moment to sigh weakly and directed her glare at the grinning songstress. After feeling content with her jesting, the thin lip of the satisfied songstress changed its form into a relaxing smile directed at her former professor. 

“Hello, Professor. We were just talking about you and the little one over there.” 

While Byleth approached Edelgard’s flank to settle herself down on the soft blanket, she quirked her brow as if to ask Dorothea to clarify what she meant. Upon getting the clue, Dorothea humbly complied. “I was talking with Edie that this little one here doesn’t show much emotion like she supposed to. Now that I think about it. She really reminded me of you when we first met at the Academy. Don’t you think so, Professor?”

While waiting for Byleth to reply to the plain question as she usually did casually, Edelgard quietly sipped her bergamot to disguise the remnant of pink on her facade. However, even when a few moments passed by, she heard nothing but silence from the woman beside her. When she noticed the corner of Dorothea’s lip started to pull down with slight bewilderment, Edelgard began to sense that something was wrong. And so, the crowned head tilted to the side to take in the messy navy blue hair and the pensive cobalt eyes that seemed to direct at some places far beyond any person could reach. Before she could ask anything, Byleth blurted out with the voice of a whisper that only Edelgard could hear as if the woman was talking to herself. 

“She’s not.”

When Dorothea started to get a glimpse of the change in the surrounding current and shifted her relaxing light in those emerald eyes, Edelgard saw Byleth slowly lift her hand and placed it over her chest where the heart should be with an unreadable expression. Another heavy silence passed by as Edelgard quietly searched for any clue of what was on her lover’s mind within the dim and distant cobalt eyes. When those eyes drifted to the little girl and Petra, who was playing with the horse she made from the fallen branches with the hope to urge a smile from the quiet curious amethyst eyes, Edelgard noticed that the cobalt eyes saddened. 

About a beat after, Byleth finally continued with a detached voice that was loud enough for the brunette and snow-white locks could hear, “The kid…she’s not like me, Dorothea.” Byleth paused for a bit as if she was trying to form a word within her mind before she continued again with more weight putting on her chest, “I was...empty and incapable of feeling. Before Garreg Mach, I can recall nothing but blur and gray memories. A vacant shell.” 

Edelgard felt her chest tightened with overwhelmed, mixed feelings that flooded through her every time she saw her beloved was plagued with the void of the past. It was the blank void that Byleth never asked for, and Edelgard despised that. Without knowing, the crimson gloved hand reached out to squeeze gently at the loose knuckle on the thin pile of documents and lesson plan in the hope of bringing the distant cobalt eyes back. And it seemed to work as Byleth slowly turned to Edelgard with a firm glimmer in her eyes before they passed the concerned lilac eyes to land at the emerald pair across them.

“But the kid…is different. She feels things and isn’t empty. She just...doesn’t know that it’s okay to let those feelings free and express them.”

Prying herself from the solemn emerald eyes, Byleth glanced down at her hand on her chest with sincere, unwavering eyes as Edelgard and Dorothea quietly listened. “Emotion and feeling...are something that makes you human and makes you who you are. That’s why we have to help her. Teach her. To be a person she wants to be.” Byleth paused once again to drifted her eyes full of gratitude and appreciation to land at the dazzling lilac eyes before she continued with her sweet, genuine voice, “Just like how you always push me through, El.” 

The instance their eyes met, Edelgard was brought back to the first time when Byleth woke up at the infirmary with her newly beating heart. Edelgard remembered seeing the exasperated frown adorned Byleth’s fatiguing face, so she asked what troubled her mind. As the broadest frown she had ever seen from the impassive Professor greeted her, Edelgard was slightly taken aback by the answer with a serious tone. Byleth had told her she felt strange that her heart thundered against her rib with a roar of throbbing whenever she was with Edelgard. And sometimes, it felt heavy and stressed whenever she looked at the wounded soldiers, and even more so when she looked at the wounds underneath the crimson regalia. When Byleth told her it was so annoying with a deepened frown, Edelgard was quick to assure her that it was more than normal, and there was nothing to worry about. With a warm smile, Edelgard recalled her own words to Byleth afterward. 

_“I like it that you smile more, and even laugh out loud at the Alois’s joke. I love seeing you like this, my teacher. Besides, emotion and feeling are something that makes you human and makes you who you are, and I...adore you as who you really are, Byleth.”_

As her wavering lilac eyes steeled themselves to look up, she remembered being mesmerized by the radiant, tender smile that directed at her with a purity of an innocent child getting validated. The same smile that still stuck in Edelgard’s mind ever since then. And it was the same smile Edelgard was witnessing again right now in the serene garden. The difference, however, seemed to be the cobalt eyes that also told her how much the woman really treasured Edelgard’s word closed to her chest. Such a sight urged Edelgard’s heart to bloom even further and made her lost sight of the surroundings, including the wide smirk on the songstress’s facade, to relish herself only in the smile of her beloved. Eventually, a light tug on her cape brought her back to the blank amethyst eyes that went back and forth between Edelgard and the horse made out of branches on Petra’s hands, who was offering it for the girl to take. Edelgard sighed weakly before she gestured to the child that it was alright to take the toy. It seemed that there was still a long way for this little one to reclaim what was hers. 

After the long hours of nothing but a casual converse, eventually, Edelgard and Byleth decided to excuse themselves to return to the unaccomplished works despite receiving a pretended protest from Dorothea. However, Edelgard spotted a genuine gloominess flashed along with a subtle frown on Petra’s facade before she knelt in front of the child who had a wooden horse in her hand. The future Queen of Brigid spent a moment to tell the child something in her native language, a farewell or a reunited promise, perhaps, as she finished with an authentic, bright smile she always wore. With that, Dorothea and Petra bid their farewell and let the Emperor and the General tend to their endless responsibility. At the Emperor’s office, it took only a few beats for Edelgard and Byleth to settled in their respective desk and resumed their attention on the parchments that piled up from this morning as the sound of the bare feet that lightly pattered on the floor echoed around the quiet room. A few moments after, as if there was no more place to explore in the room, the little child settled herself on the Emperor’s lap without asking permission and overlooked the various different types of papers on the desk. If any servants saw this, they would be surprised why the Emperor easily complied and allowed the child to secure her lap like this. Even though she did not seem to aware of the real reason herself, Edelgard gladly relinquished her lap for the girl.

While Edelgard and Byleth quietly worked on their tasks until the blue sky started to change its shade into the bright orange, Edelgard suddenly noticed the amethyst eyes started to slur with drowsiness. Not long after the sun touched the horizon outside, the little girl started to doze off and swayed her shaggy snow-white locks back and forth on Edelgard’s lap. Assuming that the silence might have soothed the bright glimmer within the amethyst eyes, Edelgard put down her quill to shift the sleepy girl into the more comfortable position on her lap. Not long after, the child finally went still with steady breathing as the small chin rested snugly on Edelgard’s chest, and the hazy amethyst eyes looked up to the soft lilac pair. With that, Edelgard and Byleth briefly shared a relieved smile before they decided to retire for the day. When they were back at their quarters, both of them went straight to the bed and laid down on the feathery mattress, waiting for the sleepiness to take the child in. However, even though the amethyst eyes already lost its freshness and focus, they never truly closed. Instead, they kept looking up at the lilac pair on top of the crimson regalia. No matter how long Edelgard tried to rock the little one back and forth gently or lightly pat the limply body, the amethyst eyes remained open to bear its dim light into the lilac eyes as if their owner was afraid that the woman before her would disappear into the darkness of dream. 

By the time she noticed the light that seeped through the curtain had changed its ray into a silver stream, Edelgard turned to Byleth with sleepy, albeit concerned eyes to consult the next step. “My love, it’s been hours now. At this rate, I think we might fall asleep before her again. What do you think we should do?” 

Byleth replied with a big yawn before the tired cobalt eyes seemed to be lost in thought. She was searching quietly for a way to lull the little one to sleep so that both of them could finally retire for the night. A few moments of pondering passed by, the cobalt eyes flashed with a light of realization before she eventually suggested an idea that came into her mind. 

“El, remember the first day we met her?” Seeing the quirked eyebrow that hinted with confusion and the gesture to continue on her lover’s face, Byleth gladly complied. “She slept for the whole way back, so maybe we can do the same thing we did that day?” 

Suddenly, a comprehension lightened up on Edelgard’s face. And so, shifting into a sitting position, Edelgard gently relocated the small war underneath the shaggy snow-white locks to press close to where her heart should be and cuddled her closed just like the first time in the carriage. Although the little one comfortably nuzzled closed into Edelgard with her heartbeat as a soothing voice, the amethyst eyes tilted upward slightly to keep the lilac eyes within their array, refusing to surrender to the drowsiness. Looking for more advice, Edelgard tilted her head in Byleth’s direction as if asking whether there was another thing they should do while slightly rocking the little one in her arms. After Edelgard patiently watched the wrinkles started to appear between Byleth’s brows for a few moments, an idea popped up into her own mind. 

“My love, what about your lullaby?” 

With that, the cobalt eyes flashed with recognition before it dimmed down again as Byleth silently contemplated for a bit, trying to recall the song she reflexively sang to the child once. When she seemed to find what she was looking for, Byleth curtly nodded before she released the soft melodious lullaby from her lip to leisurely hang over them. Surprisingly, it only took a moment before Edelgard quietly watched the amethyst eyes gradually surrendered themselves to the realm of the dream as the child finally closed her eyes and went completely limp within Edelgard’s warm, protective embrace. The soft melody went on for a long while to ensure that the child was deep in the slumber as Byleth carefully shifted herself to wrap Edelgard into her solid arms. Not long after, as if Edelgard could resist the longing for the rest no more, the lilac eyes gradually lost their strength and followed the little child into the warm darkness, knowing that there would be someone who would always protect them even though what they saw was only darkness. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few days and nights had passed uneventfully as the little child’s health recovered pretty well. Her wounds were mostly healed and left with no more bandages wrapped around the small figure. Edelgard found that it was one of a few benefits for someone who bore the Crest of Flame to heal up considerably faster than typical people. And soon, these wounds would turn to be another scar on top of the many more that the small figured already had. In addition to the impressive recovery, ever since the first successful night, the child seemed to slowly adjust to the typical sleep schedule during the night, which tremendously helped ease the concern Edelgard and Byleth had regarding the girl’s sleeplessness. Even so, they had learned that, after so many more trial and error, the little child would sleep only if she was carried by Edelgard and lulled to sleep by the lullaby Byleth sang. It was another peculiar behavior that Edelgard found herself struggling to fathom, or rather to believe. Regardless, by the time that Edelgard and Byleth were about to get used to the habit of their new night ritual, the servants had informed the Emperor that they already finished preparing a room for the girl. And so, tonight, it would be the first night that the girl would be introduced to her own private room.

As the silver moonlight shone brightly through the crystalline window and magnificently brightened up the surrounding, Edelgard took in the room that used to be her oldest sister’s room with wonder and nostalgia. For so many years, this room had been using for nothing but the storage of dust ever since the owner was consumed by the deep shadow of the dungeon. Although the servants had cleaned it from time to time, with no one living in the room, it was not really a surprise why the room always covered with dust and ash. Nonetheless, after getting an order from the Emperor, the servants had rearranged particularly for the little girl and deep cleaned the vacant space, resulting in the newly polished room that Edelgard could not even remember its old days. Not that the memories were intact enough for her to recall anyway. After glancing around the renewed bedroom with contentment, Edelgard guided the child into the room and followed closely by Byleth. Edelgard quietly led the child to explore around the room and allowed her to feel more familiar with the strange space as the older snow-white locks carefully inspected the servants’ work. Eventually, the two snow-white locks reached the comforting, ornate bed where the messy blue hair was standing and quietly watching them.

It took a beat for the little child to curiously glance around the bed before she climbed into it and was followed by Edelgard. Seeing that the little one seemed to still be at ease despite the unfamiliar room, Edelgard and Byleth briefly shared a relieved smile as they silently agreed to each other that it was time for bed. However, before they left the child to sleep on her own, they wanted to make sure that she would be able to sleep soundly despite their disappearance. And thus, Edelgard beckoned the girl to settle herself within her arms as usual while Byleth sat on the bed beside them. And as always, Edelgard caressed the shaggy snow-white locks which pressed against her chest with a tender touch. All the while, Byleth gently sang the girl a lullaby with her harmonious, serene voice that almost always lulled Edelgard to sleep along with the little child. However, as several moments went by, the amethyst eyes kept looking at the older snow-white locks with a glimmer as bright as the sunlight of the day while the tiny hand clutched on the crimson regalia as if she sensed that the both of them was about to leave her alone in the unfamiliar room. Even after the lullaby ended, there was no drowsiness to be found within the amethyst eyes like they supposed to. Not knowing what prevented the little one from sleeping as she usually did, Edelgard sent concern eyes toward Byleth whose eyes also filled with mild confusion. A few moments of silence passed by before the messy blue hair shifted her position to lay down in the bed beside Edelgard and the little girl as if she was ready to sleep on this bed at any moment. The unexpected behavior of her lover urged Edelgard to quirk her brow inquisitively, asking what Byleth intended to achieve.

Spotting her beloved’s silent question, Byleth simply replied with her usual impassive tone, “Let’s pretend to sleep with her, El. And then we can leave afterward.”

Despite the remaining bewilderment on the pale face, Edelgard complied. She was willing to try anything to make the girl slumbered anyway. And to her surprise, the amethyst eyes started to seem heavy not long after Edelgard repositioned herself to lay down within Byleth’s arms, pretending she was about to sleep as usual. A beat after Byleth resumed her lullaby, the sleepy child finally gave in and was deep into the realm of dream. It took a moment for the two adults to stare at the steady rhythm of the small chest in silence before they were sure that the little child would not awake upon their leave. And so, Edelgard and Byleth slowly and carefully pushed themselves upon the mattress, gently settled down the small figured within the warm blanket, and quietly leave the room. Edelgard tried as much as she could to close the wooden, old door with the slightest creak the door allowed her to. The second that the door was fully closed, they stole a moment to release the heavy breath they did not know they held onto. Noticing the guard stationed nearby, Edelgard was quick to regain her composure as Byleth began turning her heels toward their quarters with slumped shoulders and tired facade. But somehow, Edelgard felt her heart was tugged with an invisible hand that weighed her body down and froze her in place. Was this the right thing to do for the little girl? Was it alright to let her sleep alone in the room like this? What if she woke up in the middle of the night and found that no one was with her? There were so many questions that surged through Edelgard’s mind as her hand refused to let go of the golden doorknob. Lately, Edelgard felt like she had not been herself somehow. Normally, she would never doubt her own decision nor lingered herself with what could have been. But ever since this little child had stepped into her life, she found herself wondered if her choice was the best one for this little child yet, if she could have done anything differently for her, if she had done the right thing for her, if it would be alright to assume the girl’s needs. It was a frustrating thought that stubbornly stuck inside her mind, and she could not find a way not constantly to think about them. Suddenly, a light touch on her hand brought Edelgard back from the sea of thoughts, lifting her hand up until it met with a soft lip of her lover’s. 

“Don’t worry. She’s been sleeping well for the past few days. She’ll be fine.”

Edelgard turned to meet the calm, comforted cobalt eyes while her hand still wrapped gently with the calloused hand and the warm lip. As always, Byleth’s presence was more than enough to soothe her restless thought and prompt her shoulders to ease their stiffness before the snow-white locks slightly inclined her head. 

Seeing that a mild concern still presented on the pale face, Byleth continued her whisper with a calm tone, “If you are worried about her, then maybe we can just let her sleep with us?”

Upon hearing the suggestion, Edelgard shook her head slightly and whispered back with a weak smile, “That won’t be good, my love. If we wish for her to be adopted, letting her get attached too much to us will do no good.”

After seeing Byleth reluctantly nodded, Edelgard glanced back to the door in front of her, looking past the wooden materials to the sleeping girl inside with a tint of worried at the corner of her lilac eyes. She would be alright, Edelgard thought. The little one’s room was right next to their bedchamber, so the location was quite convenient for them to check on her as often as the girl needed them to. And so, Edelgard steeled herself to let go of the doorknob and ordered the guard to summon her if anything came up before she and Byleth went back to their quarters. By the time that both of them had settled on their bed, Byleth tenderly enveloped Edelgard with her protective arms as if she was trying to calm the snow-white hair’s restless mind. Eventually, the sweet scent of her beloved’s presence and the soothing rhyme of the beating heart slowly lulled Edelgard to close her eyes and embrace the realm of dream. 

After so many peaceful nights and warm darkness with a guiding, warm light beside her, Edelgard found herself a tad bit surprised to be back within the familiar cold darkness of the dream. However, somehow Edelgard knew that this was not the usual nightmares that used to plague her sleep frequently. Instead, this time, she was back at her old room in the palace, alone on the grand bed that supposed to bear four children rather than one. Her body was partly covered with stained bandages, and her hair just completely turned into the pale snow-white shade. While looking around to take in nothing but darkness, a wave of memories surged through her mind as she remembered that it was several days after she was released from the cold dungeon. She remembered feeling furious, disgusted, resolved, and alone. But even so, she chose to close her eyes and invited the darkness to engulf her mind. She was terrified. She heard her soul screamed in agony as her body and mind were on their edge to crumble into ashes. But she gritted her teeth as she let the shadow hands got their tight grasps on her anyway. She had to strengthen her heart and overcome this fear, or else, she could not achieve the brighter dawn. Even after she willingly let the shadow hands slowly took control of her body and thought that her mind had conquered the fear, her soul kept screaming in solitary and silence. Her mind repeated the same thing over and over as if it tried to convince her soul that she had overcome them, that she had taken down the fear onto her knees. And she crushed the fear under her feet. 

“El! Wake up!”

Edelgard’s eyes flung open with a sudden gasp as she gradually took in the gravely concerned cobalt eyes. A few moments later, as her sense started to come back to her, Edelgard felt her chest heaving with shallow breath, her hands tightly curled into a white knuckle, her nails pierced into her skin, and her arms were restrained with a firm grip. Upon noticing the lilac eyes that refocused on her again, Byleth loosened the grip on her lover’s arms while the cobalt eyes softened with the heavy concern still presented within. When Edelgard was about to breathe out her apology, Byleth tentatively pulled her into the solid, albeit soft body and naturally let the heartbeat calmed Edelgard’s frantic heart. As if yearning for the tender touch, the snow-white locks buried herself further into the source of warmth. By the time the throbbing roaring sound in her ears began to subside, Edelgard gradually regained her steady breath and heard Byleth murmured into the crown of her head with a calm voice that hinted with a mix of relief and concern. 

“Worried about the kid?” A beat passed before Edelgard nodded silently with no further response, prompting Byleth to continue. “Do you want to check on her real quick?”

Edelgard silently contemplated on the proffer for a while before she reluctantly nodded into Byleth’s soft skin. “That...would be good, my love.”

Byleth nodded into the crown of the snow-white locks before she planted a brief kiss there. However, she did not move any further until Edelgard slightly lifted herself away from the touch as if Byleth wanted to make sure that the woman in her arms was ready to pry herself out of the comforting embrace before she moved. As they were about to get off of the feathery mattress, suddenly, a loud thud coming through the wall reached their ears, halting them on their track. The pair of lilac and cobalt shared a sharp glance for a brief moment before both of them quickly retrieved their hidden swords in the room. When they were about to reach the entrance to their quarters, a loud, hurried knock came in. Byleth flung open the door, which startled the guard who was in the middle of the knock. 

After regaining his composure, the guard reported with an urgent and uncertain tone, “My deepest apology, Your Majesty, General. But there is something wrong with the girl that might require your immediate attention.”

Without missing a beat, Edelgard launched herself passed through the shocked guard toward the room next to hers as Byleth followed closely behind. As soon as Edelgard saw a glimpse of the slightly opened entrance to the little one’s room, her stride got wider and faster until she abruptly stopped at the door just inside the dim room. When Byleth caught up to her, Edelgard carefully approached the bed at the center of the room with a sword readied in her hand. As the lilac eyes adjusted to the still darkness, Edelgard could grasp the disarrayed mattress and blanket as if someone had been grievously twisted and turned on the bed. She also noticed some parts of the mattress were stained with something she could not make out under the low light. With a warm presence suddenly appeared beside her and brushed the broad shoulder with hers, Edelgard took a beat to look around the room under the dim light. Aside from the disordered bed, everything else was kept intact with no sign of an intruder. And so, Edelgard briefly shared a glance with Byleth before the latter tentatively inspected their surrounding on her way to the large window. At the same time, Edelgard approached the bed as she rose her voice with a tint of worry into the cold breeze of the night. 

“Little one?” 

Suddenly, there was a short, dull thud came from the other side of the bed as if something was pressed against the wall. Thus, Edelgard quickly made her way across the bed to the source of the sound in the same time that Byleth opened the curtain and allowed the silver array of the bright moon lightened up the room, revealing the child who was pushing herself against the corner of the wall with wide, terrified amethyst eyes. At that moment, Edelgard took in the trembling child whose back pushed against the solid wall behind and a tiny hand clenched against the hardened floor beside the curled body. The shaggy snow-white hair seemed to be disheveled than usual while the fine nightgown was stained with a muddy matter and roughly torn at the torso part. The part that disheartened Edelgard the most, however, was the child’s small hand that was crushing and clenching over her heaving chest where the stained substance along with several scratches over the scars was found the most. It was as if the girl was trying to rip open her own chest. The sight before her pierced into Edelgard’s heart like a sharp lance that interfered with her flow of breath. 

“It’s okay. It’s just us. Don’t be afraid,” Edelgard carefully spoke up as she placed down her sword behind and knelt down in front of the child.

However, the girl pushed herself further into the wall with terrified eyes as if she was still lost in the haze of slumber and did not recognize the woman before her. The reaction prompted Edelgard’s chest to hurt even more. Nonetheless, she gradually drifted toward the small child who curled into a ball the more Edelgard moved closer. When she was closed enough, Edelgard slowly lifted her hand to softly touch the child’s contorted face in the hope that her touch could guide the little one back. And it seemed to work as, a few moments later, the amethyst eyes gradually lost its mist that covered them a while ago before the small figure weakly drifted toward Edelgard. When the small hand that just uncurled from the tight knuckle faintly brushed Edelgard’s lap, the older woman instantly enveloped the little child with her warm embrace. As she carried the child close, Edelgard indistinctly whispered many things from consolation, reassurance, to apologies into the weakened child. She knew what this was about the instance she saw those frightened amethyst eyes. It was the same thing that also plagued her night. And it made Edelgard realized why the little child would sleep only if she was within her arms and not Byleth’s, why it had to be Byleth’s lullaby that lulled the girl to sleep, and why prying her away from these conditions resulted in this sleepless night of nightmares. She thought the girl could sleep peacefully without her and Byleth nearby, but she was wrong. Perhaps, it was similar to the way Edelgard found herself sleep peacefully and felt at ease if she could feel Byleth’s presence beside her. It was the very presence that made her felt safe from the darkness and the past. Perhaps, her presence and Byleth’s voice might be the very same anchor that held the little child back from the darkest memories of her past, just like Edelgard’s anchor. And so, after realizing what her decision had done, Edelgard wrapped herself protectively over the languid child as she whispered apologies with a painful tone. Despite knowing that the girl might not understand them, she kept apologizing anyway. She should have known. 

“El. Don’t blame yourself for this.”

A light touch on her shoulder and Byleth’s calm voice reached Edelgard as she slightly lifted her head and loosened her embrace around the little child just a tad bit. When the dim lilac eyes noticed the bleeding scratches on the small chest, she heard Byleth shifted to the child’s side before her hand with a green light hovered over the wounds. 

A beat passed as Byleth continued her soothing words, “Human is imperfect, El. And so are you.”

Despite that, Edelgard could see Byleth’s glowing hand shook slightly as another curled into a tight fist. Nonetheless, Edelgard could not get the idea out of her mind. The voice that echoed the fact that she, of all people, should have known, and yet, she neglected what she should not. As the Emperor, she had the duty to guide the citizen toward the light, to lead them toward the right path, and passed through the deleterious storm. And at least, she thought, she could adequately provide to them, especially when she had Byleth and the Strike Force beside her. Besides, her life was made to be the Emperor. And so, her decision was trained to ensure that she would benefit the citizen and everyone around her, keeping them safe. But as someone who had to take care of a child, she was lost in the storm with no idea which direction she should advance. She thought she knew the way, but apparently, she did not. When it came to the matter with children, it turned out she had very little experience to grasp, considering for someone whose childhood memories were just a segment of the foggy past and whose childhood was being robbed by the hands of the darkness. Even so, she thought she could at least provide the child, who had been through the same thing with her, with what she needed the most. But she failed. And she could not even anticipate how much impact the child would have from being alone in the room. She knew everyone could not be perfect, but she hated that about herself, especially when the cost of her ignorant was the fatigue, scarred child within her arms. She hated that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How was it? I hope you enjoy what you just read.  
> I'm so sorry. I wanted them to just be happy and laze around the palace too, but the good part can't be achieved without going through some rough path first, so...:p  
> It will be better soon if you believe me.  
> As always, thank you for reading another chapter. And comments and Kudos are always welcome. I really want to know what you all think about the story (doesn't have to be about this chapter too!).  
> Anyway, please remember to take care of yourself.  
> Also, I wanted to be a cat. :/
> 
> Fun (kinda)fact:
> 
> \- If anyone is curious, yes, Edelgard and Byleth didn’t change their cloth on the first night the child finally slept soundly. Changing their clothes is not in the front of their mind, and they are too tired anyway.  
> \- People are made of three things: Body, mind, and soul. Body is the physical body. Mind is both of your rational and irrational thought. And soul is basically the core of who you are and what you feel.  
> \- [Personal interpretation] One of Edelgard’s flaw is that even though she knows she is imperfect and accepts her flaw when people point them out, she still strives to the best in everything she does. And she always puts on an emotionless mask to be the perfect Emperor. So when it came to the thing she thought she could do, but then she couldn’t, she would get really frustrated and blame herself for it. That’s what I interpreted her perfectionist and the sens of control anyway.  
> \- [Personal interpretation] Another flaw she has is that when she has a goal in her mind, like wanting to have this child get adopted, she will devote herself to that cause. However, she tends to focus more on the goal and overlook the stuff in between along with disregarding her own needs. And when there's no balance, this trait can be backfired.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Song track: itsuka - NHK WORKS OST by Hiroyuki Sawano

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M BAAAAAAACCCCKKK  
> Ah. I'm so sorry for the delay. This chapter had been an outline for far too long.  
> Thank you anyone who might have waited for the update. For those who didn't wait, thank you for keeping back here again!  
> As an apology, I just wrote a 10k chapter for you here (and that's break all of my length record of all writing I ever did....).  
> Anyway, after the nightmares in the previous chapter, I wondered what will Byleth and Edelgard do?  
> Let's go find out. And I hope you will enjoy this chapter!  
> Remember that this one will be sooooo long than usual. Like really long. So go prepare your snack and drink before sitting down and read!

After the event last night, Edelgard and Byleth agreed that they would never leave the kid alone again regardless if it were the day or night. At least until the child was doing better and not fell into the frightful nightmares again. With many discussions together, Edelgard and Byleth decided to rearrange the bed so that the little girl could sleep in the same room with them, albeit in a separate bed. With this approach, they could assist the child in her sleep while avoiding nourishing any more bond between them and her, as Edelgard wished. The bed that they urgently ordered the servant to make was placed under the large window that was closest to their bed, so the sleepless child would be within their sight during the night. The bed, due to the short notice and the intention of being a temporary furnishing, was made with a simple design and materials that were safe, cozy enough to carry the soft mattress and the little girl on it. Fortunately, with the help of Hubert, it only took a whole day to prepare the impermanent resting place for the child. However, during the night after, although both of them successfully lulled the child to sleep soundly, Edelgard and Byleth were, once again, disturbed from their sleep by the loud thud in the middle of the night. After they quickly got up in the haze of the grogginess, they had found that the nightmares had made the child twisted and tossed on the cold floor yet again. Although they soothed and woke her up just in time before the dull, tiny nails could do any damages to the small chest like the last time, their concerns began to grow. 

And so, on the next morning, when it was time for the child’s daily examination, they decided to consult with Manuela for the little child’s night complication. Admittedly, it seemed that the matter had gone beyond Edelgard’s and Byleth’s capacity to handle despite their best attempt. The slightly brown eyebrows knitted together in a grave concern as Edelgard reflected on when and how she did wrong. She might even be wrong ever since she decided to take care of the child from the start. All the while, her ears were trying to register the physician’s report of the girl’s status.

“Alright. You are slowly gaining more weight little by little. You are doing well, sweetheart. If you keep shoving all the food and sleeping safe and sound, you will be as strong as the Almighty Emperor Edelgard in no time! Though I’m wondering why your progress seems to be a bit slower than I expected. Did you eat and sleep well, sweetheart?” Manuela exclaimed to the rather droopy amethyst eyes with a rare enthusiastic tone from someone who just happened to wake up with a headache from the late-night drink. 

Nonetheless, with the question implicitly addressed to none other than the other two adults in the room, Edelgard’s brows tangled even deeper together with uneasiness and grave concern, not because of the attempted smile of the physician despite her severe headache, but because of the serious matter at hands that she was about to consult with the professional healer. Edelgard and Byleth shared a brief look before they began retelling the outburst of nightmares for the past few nights. After listening to the complication in silence, Manuela contemplated the solution for some time, making Edelgard straightened in her seat in anticipation. Eventually, the former professor recommended her former student and her former colleague to try getting a cuddly toy to ease the child’s worry. It worked well with every child, she said. Thus, when the night came, Edelgard and Byleth had brought so many different kinds of soft toys with an animal shape that they urgently ordered Hubert to collect for the little girl to choose. Although the child had shared her curiosity on all the stuffed animals, none of them could ignite the glimmer within those amethyst eyes nor urge the child to hold the comforting toy close like most children would do. While Byleth tried to convince the impassive child to choose the stuffy in the shape of a fish by hugging the small toy as a demonstration, Edelgard watched them in silence with a pensive expression, busying herself with a search for an alternative solution in her head. 

“Look, kid. This’s a fish. It’s soft and delicious. You’ll like them,” Byleth said and handed the fish stuffy to the child who only looked at it briefly before the blank amethyst eyes returned to the cobalt pair, pulling the corner of Byleth’s lip into a small, somber frown. 

All the while, the pensive lilac eyes silently scanned around the pool of stuffed animals on their grand bed. Suddenly, a certain stuffed animal appeared in her mind. With that, Edelgard quickly strode to the drawer at the far end of their bedroom and rummaged in the very bottom of the drawer, urging confused eyes from Byleth. Not long after, Edelgard retrieved a slightly worn-out stuffed bear with a small axe and an armor from the deepest part of the drawer. A stuffed bear that prompted a fond, nostalgic smile on Edelgard’s face every time she looked at or thought of it. As she carried the armored bear to the bed with care, initially, the impassive child looked at it curiously like she did for all the other stuffs. However, when Edelgard handed the bear closer to her to investigate, something lightened up within those amethyst eyes. Slowly, the tiny hands rose to awkwardly take in the armored bear that was almost half of her size as the glimmer in the amethyst eyes grew brighter the closer the bear was. The child went still for a moment as her bright amethyst eyes looked deep into the dull black button. A moment after, she held the bear closer enough to let her small nose relished in the wooden, musky scent tinted faintly with a fresh, yet bitter, and floral, yet spicy scent before she buried her face in the soft materials with eyes closed in contentment. Upon seeing the girl seemed to like the armored bear, a warm, light feeling unfolded within Edelgard’s chest. 

Suddenly, Byleth spoke up from her side with a tone filled with recognition and wonder, “Wait. Is that...?”

Sensing that her lover might have noticed it, Edelgard let out a subtle smile hinted with bashfulness before she confirmed with a nostalgic tone. “Yes. He was the very first bear you gave me. He helped me sleep well and chased the nightmare away, so I figured he might help her too. I’m glad she accepts him.” 

The slightly flickering lilac eyes gazed at the blissful child as she felt another set of eyes looking at her fondly. “I see. So that’s why she likes it.” Edelgard turned to Byleth and her warm smile with an inquisitive look, urging the messy blue hair to continue, “The bear. You slept with it a lot, right? I guess it might remind kid of you.” 

With such a peculiar reason, Edelgard could not help but giggle out loud. “Is that so? I cannot see how that relates to why she likes it, my love. He’s just an old teddy bear.”

Byleth nonchalantly shrugged off as if she did not know how to respond and spoke out of her instinct as usual while they continued watching the girl kept the armored bear tighter to her small frame in silence. All the while, Byleth’s words stuck in Edelgard’s mind as she inwardly wondered what they meant. While it’s true that this bear had been with her for countless nights after she got it during the Academy’s days, she could not fathom how that would make the child liked the bear over other stuffed toys. How could someone like something just because it belonged to someone else before? If anything, she thought that most children despised a preowned doll even. At least, she despised it when she had to inherit the same clothes or toys from her older siblings. But if it was true as Byleth said, Edelgard was not sure how to feel about this. She had failed so many times, so many times that she hurt the child’s faith in her. But the girl still trusted her, reaching for her presence just like a little fledgling asking for warmth and protection from a great eagle. Edelgard wondered why, and she kept wondering, never knew when she would understand or if that day would come. It was such a foreign kind of connection, too peculiar to grasp or believe such a thing existed. 

The big yawn from the small child eventually brought Edelgard back from the bottomless pool of questions she had. Seeing that it was already deep into the night, Edelgard gently held the little child closed along with the worn-out bear in the tiny arms. Soon after, they started their night routine, as usual, to lull the sleepy child to close her eyes while the small frame held the teddy bear close. Even after she was deep in the realm of dream, the sleeping child never let go of her stuffy. In the end, to both Edelgard’s and Byleth’s relief, the little one finally slept safe and sound tonight and for the many to come. Ever since then, the old teddy bear was assigned to be the little one’s guardian and never once stayed away from her. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Above in the sky today, there was a blanket of gray engulfed the clear blue vast and concealed the warm, bright array from the lonely sun. The sheet started to increase in its intensity and shade as if it was about to let go of the overwhelmed filling it had been held onto. All in all, not a very bright sunny day he liked. In the day like this, most people would think there was nowhere to go aside from underneath the high, opened roof of the training ground. Even so, Felix found himself did not mind at all. In fact, it did not matter if the sky would be clear as a blue crystal under the bright light or gloomy as a foggy forest in the night, he would always spend time in the training ground of the palace. The dusty air and the salty scent were the only familiar things that could calm his mind anyway. Felix thought of how his childhood always filled with either the sword and the scream of knighthood as he looked up into the dull, gray sky through the large ceiling of the training ground. Suddenly, a war cry brought his mind back to the sky blue hair with an axe running toward him, readied to take a blow. But this time, he would not let the man got to him. Thus, Felix dashed toward the approaching Caspar to get down under the wide strike, determined to take revenge when the blue-haired man threw him on the ground like a child. And oh, he did throw him away like a child. 

“Nice throw.”

Felix’s triumphed smirk was quickly turned into a huff audibly with boldness as if this was nothing to him while a messy blue hair emerged out of the training ground’s entrance. Byleth greeted the looming Felix and the sprawling Caspar with a nod as Felix did the same while Caspar flashed out a beam. 

Getting up onto his feet swiftly, Caspar greeted his former Professor with his usual boisterous tone and a bright smile that overpowered even the sun itself. “Hi, Professor! I haven’t seen you here for a while. Busy taking care of that kid?” 

As if on cue, the girl slowly peeked out from behind Byleth while glancing around the training ground curiously. It looked like this was the first time the kid was in the training ground, Felix thought. Byleth ruffled the girl’s white head as if to assured her that the place was safe for her to explore, prompting the girl to reveal herself more for another two adults. Seeing the little kid looked around the area curiously with no sign of attacking or running away, Felix’s brow quirked up with suspicion while Caspar blurted out with a disbelieved tone. 

“Wow. I can’t believe this is the same kid who jumped and threw her daggers around like a real assassin a few weeks ago. I mean, look at her! How come she’s cuter? Huh, Felix?”

Felix said nothing but a scoff, thinking that he still did not trust that this little one would be safe to be around. After all, she had shown great skills in dagger and fighting, or he should say, survival, during the first mission they met. And anyone who knew how to wield a weapon could not be trusted, especially those who never talked and swung the sword without a purpose because no one would know what she was thinking and why. There was no way one could predict their movement. Thus, those were the most dangerous kind of enemy. 

As Felix sent a hard glare to the child who was busy looking around the training ground, Caspar spoke up again with a more enthusiastic tone, “Oh right! I got a new technique I wanted to show you, Professor. Are you interested in sparring today? You haven’t been training ever since you took in the child and the matter with Ferdinand’s new school, right? Come on!”

Byleth contemplated for a moment before she agreed with a nod and knelt to talk to the quiet girl, “Kid. Stay here with Felix, okay? It’s safer to watch from afar.” 

Although the child kept quiet and maintained her impassive facade, Felix could spot her tiny hand clutched a sleeve of the strange jacket tightly. What an ordinary reaction of a child. Too ordinary for this kid, Felix thought as Byleth reassured her again with a subtle smile. 

“Don’t worry. I’ll just be over there, not far from you.” 

With that, the small hand slowly loosened its grip and allowed Byleth to prepare for a spar with Caspar. After Byleth nonchalantly chose an iron sword as Caspar got his gauntlets, both of them got into a position. Soon after, the sparring began. As the clashing of the iron weapons continued, the more intense the fight became. However, Felix, who was paying close attention to the technique each of them was performing, noticed the cobalt eyes sent a few glances directed at the quiet child and him from time to time. While Byleth was busy dodging Caspar’s heavy attack and his new proclaimed technique, Felix and the child watched the two clashed their blades in silence until Felix felt like he had been watching with an unfamiliar gaze. At the corner of his eyes, Felix noticed the amethyst eyes staring at him with an unreadable look. 

Felix narrowed his eyes in caution and asked with a calculated, indifferent tone, “what are you looking at?”

As expected, the child said nothing for a moment before the amethyst eyes shifted toward the steel sword on his hip, staring at it blankly. Seeing what the child was looking at, Felix knitted his brows together in a tight knot with a mild irritation from something he did not truly understand himself. Several moments of the clashing, panting, and groaning sound from the ongoing spar nearby, the amethyst eyes never leave the sword nor did any kind of movement. Eventually, Felix sighed through his nose and let it pass before he turned his attention back to Byleth and Caspar. However, a faint pitter-patter sound of the bare feet brought his attention back to where the child was standing beside him, but what he found was nothing. Knowing so, Felix glanced around to find where the curious child might be. By the time he found her, she was approaching the silver axe that Caspar had left on the ground previously and was about to pick it up. Without knowing, his legs carried Felix forward to the crouching child with a sprint and quickly took the weapon away from the small gasp just in time. 

Sighing heavily through his nose, Felix snapped at the child with a deep, dire tone. “This is not a toy, kid. Don’t play with it.”

The amethyst eyes looked into Felix’s eyes in silence for a long moment as the clashing sound continued, albeit sounding like they were getting further away. As Felix looked back into the dull, blank amethyst eyes, he started to feel something in them, something that resembled a pure, innocent light of the morning sun. Something he felt strangely familiar with. Without understanding why, Felix’s lip started to crack open with an overwhelmed feeling as his eyes began to fade away into the past.

“You know, where I grew up, kids learn how to use a sword before learning how to talk. But that world is gone now. You don’t have to touch these things again. Just...play like what children should do and let adults do the nasty stuff, got it?”

The only reply he got was a silent stare that prompted Felix to turn his eyes back from the past to the little child before him once again. Admittedly, this was the first time Felix actually took in the child in full. Despite the cover of the fine cloth she wore, he could take in a glimpse of dry and fresh scars along the bare legs, the slim neck, and the small wrist. As he looked at the lean figure, Felix inwardly wondered how this child had wielded the daggers fluently a few weeks ago. He also wondered if this was the same child as the child he met at the Those Who Slither’s underground base. And he wondered if he was wrong, and this child was just simply a child after all. As his eyes wandered down, he noticed a worn-out armored bear that hung limply on the child’s arm. 

And so, he pointed his figure to it and said, “That doll. Play with it instead. It’s better than the sword.”

However, the child tilted her head to the side as if she was confused, although Felix was not sure if she did not understand what he meant, or she just wanted to ask why. But before Felix could say anything further, Caspar’s loud groan implied with disappointment interrupted him. 

“Ah, man. I thought I could beat you for good with that new technique.” 

Byleth casually approached Felix and the child as she rolled her shoulder with a cracking sound before she calmly commented, “It was a good technique, though. It will benefit you during the fight for sure.” 

While Caspar huffed up his chest with a wide grin on his face, giving a pat on the back to no one but himself, Byleth knelt to the crouching child and spoke up with a subtle smile, “Hey, kid. Have you been a good girl with Felix?”

The amethyst eyes only blinked a few times as an answer before Byleth curtly nodded as if she understood what the child was trying to convey, prompting a raising brow from Felix. After that, they leisurely discussed a few things regarding the fighting techniques and strategies as a group who shared a similar passion for fighting. All the while, Felix stole a glance or two to the amethyst eyes that quietly watched them by Byleth’s side. Eventually, Byleth seemed to notice the time and was about to excuse herself and the quiet child. Seeing the two was about to leave, Felix felt an overwhelmed feeling he felt before that still remained within. And it was that same feeling that, once again, urged his lip to crack open without his mind’s consent, halting Byleth and the child in the process. 

“Hey, Professor. You’d better find something for that kid to do instead of coming here and watch people fight.”

Byleth quirked her brow in a mild confusion for a moment as if she was not sure why Felix said so, but she nodded anyway. Knowing that his former Professor would at least consider doing what he suggested, Felix stole a moment to sigh in relief and watched the two walked away from the salty air of the sweat and the iron scent of the training knights, away from the source of the very place that raised a cold-hearted soldier to cut through the living flesh like a butcher sliding their meats. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The new dawn, the new day. It had been several peaceful nights since the little child met the little guardian in the form of an armored bear. Edelgard could finally feel at ease to close her eyes during the silver moonlight and open them again to witness the golden sunlight with a fresh mind. And lately, Edelgard felt that her morning had been warmer, not from the weather outside, but the inside of her chest, especially when she was greeted with a clear, bright amethysts eyes. Perhaps, she might just feel greatly relieved and glad that the child could sleep soundly without any more episodes of the frightful nightmares. Nonetheless, she let it passed for now because there was a more important matter for her lover waiting for today. After all, today was the opening day of the new Academy, and it was the first day of Byleth’s class. Seeing the messy blue hair prepared for the class with several parchments in hands and glasses adorned her face, it was such a nostalgic sight that brought Edelgard back to the peaceful day and the cherished hall. Indeed, it had been a long time since then. As if sensing her affectionate stare, Byleth looked up from the pile of class schedule to sent a warm smile to Edelgard. When it was time to go, they did not forget to kiss their goodbye as Edelgard whispered a wish of good luck to her lover, hoping that everything would go well, and Byleth would have fun teaching today. After Byleth left, Edelgard prepared herself to carry yet another day as the Emperor. With the little child close at her side, both of them made their way to the Emperor’s office, passing through the warm arrays that seeped through the window into the lively hallway. 

After the Emperor had settled in the office for a long while, a knock came through the door and followed by a towering, black figure on the other side. The second that Hubert’s figure appeared at the doorway, the child, who was watching the clear sky by the large window with her bear closed, instantly ran to Edelgard and placed her tiny hand over Edelgard’s lap. The sudden touch prompted the lilac eyes to glance down with mild bewilderment at the child whose eyes fixated on the newcomer. With each step Hubert took to approach closer to the Emperor’s desk, Edelgard could feel the more weight the small hand pushed down against her skin and the faint movement of the shaggy snow-white locks that drifted closer to her as if the child was about to jump onto her. Frankly, Edelgard recognized the air surrounding the little one as something of neither fear nor wariness, and the touch was not the same as the first time she met Hubert. Thus, she did not think much of the peculiar action. However, by the time that Hubert reached the Emperor, the child had climbed onto Edelgard’s lap and sat there between the retainer and the Emperor. All the while, the blank amethyst eyes kept their focus on the black mage. Perhaps it was because Hubert could not clearly see her through the child, or he just simply refused to have the child in his sight, her retainer slightly shifted until Edelgard could see the whole towering black attire again. However, as Hubert moved, the little girl moved as well, keeping her small frame between them. Eventually, after Edelgard saw her retainer’s face twisted and jerked with irritation, the little girl simply shifted herself to wrap her arms around Edelgard. All the while, she sent blank, seemingly innocent eyes toward the dark cloud that had already covered Hubert’s face. Even though she was still a bit confused about the strange action, Edelgard decided it would be better to settle the growing annoyance of her retainer. Otherwise, such irritation might develop into his usual menacing glare and actually scared the little child away. 

And so, with a weak, consoling smile, Edelgard simply said, “Pay her no mind, Hubert.”

After he was brought back by his lady’s words, Hubert let out a light scoff as if to disguise his somewhat irrational manner before he wore a mask of the composed, loyal retainer once again. “Of course, Your Majesty. I would never pay any mind to a mere child. However, as she is clearly disturbing your precious time for the important matters, if you wish, I will find something for her to do.” 

Edelgard quirked her brow slightly in bewilderment at the unexpected offer while she stroked the shaggy snow-white locks absentmindedly. Having the little child around did not actually prevent her from working or anything, but having her did something rather than quietly watching her handling the endless parchments might be good for the girl herself.

Thus, as Edelgard contemplated on what activity that could occupy the little child in her mind, she heard herself replied to her retainer, “It’s alright, Hubert. She didn’t disturb me at all. In fact, this little one here has always been a very good girl while she’s with me.” 

While Edelgard silently settled at the idea of teaching the little child how to draw, she heard Hubert sighed through his nose and inhaled deeply again to recompose himself. After a beat, Hubert’s calm, professional voice as a livelong vassal continued, “Speaking of the child, I had started an investigation for her family and her whereabouts prior to the capture. Unfortunately, it seems that her family is no longer within this realm. According to what I found, it is possible that they have long perished during the outbreak of the war many years ago.”

Despite her prediction of such a possibility, Edelgard still furrowed her brow slightly as she continued caressing the shaggy snow-white hair just in case that the child understood what Hubert was talking about. It seemed that, indeed, her declaration of war many years ago had also affected this child as well. It might be the very first action that started this girl’s nightmares even. While she knew her touch would not help much, she still did it anyway. Edelgard contemplated the next step for a few moments before releasing her order with a tone of the Emperor and the resolve, yet soft at the edge, lilac eyes directing at the golden pair. 

“Understood. In that case, begin your search for a suitable household that will adopt this little one immediately. I want you to look for candidates that can provide sufficient support in terms of care and time. If they could financially support her, then that’s great. If not, I will personally support her finance, education, and other necessities if it needs to be. Above anything else, I am more concerned with the well-being and devotion they can provide to the little one. So, make sure to check their background thoroughly.” 

After the long, detailed conditions of the Emperor’s request evaporated into the warm breeze of the office in the morning sun, a familiar silence that happened every time the Emperor and her retainer had slightly different approaches hanged over them for some moments. Eventually, despite a hesitation within those calculated golden eyes, Hubert slightly inclined his head and compiled anyway. 

“It will be done, Your Majesty.”

With that, the loyal retainer reported a few more matters to his lady as Edelgard spotted quite a few moments when the golden eyes glanced toward the child on her lap from time to time. However, they were so brief that she was unable to read what they meant, although she might have a few suspicions already. When he finished, the man did not forget to remind her again of the upcoming meeting this noon before he turned back toward where he came in. Before he could reach for the doorknob, however, Edelgard called out to him again without meeting the golden eyes, halting the retainer on his track. 

“And Hubert. If you could find a household that has a child around her age, I would really appreciate it.”

There was a long moment of silence that was unusual for her retainer who might have noticed how fragile and uncertain the Emperor’s tone was before Edelgard heard the rustle resumed its movement that soon followed with the deep, collected voice. “As you wish, Lady Edelgard.”

After the door was opened and closed again, Edelgard let out a sigh that made her stilled for a moment as the child climbed out of her lap the minutes Hubert was out of the room. But the warmth of the little child returned as she rested her small chin over the broad lap with the amethyst eyes looked up at her as if she was asking the woman something. Such an adorable sight pulled up the corner of Edelgard’s lip into a subtle smile as she caressed the shaggy locks with care. 

When the amethyst eyes were closed in contentment, Edelgard whispered, “Don’t worry, little one. I’ll make sure you will have the best family we can seek. Your nightmares will be no more.” 

A long moment after, Edelgard decided to change the mood and retrieved her art supplies from the wooden cupboard at the far end of her office. She spent quite some time to choose which one that she should give to the child who, as she assumed, might never draw nor picked up a quill before. Eventually, she settled with the most harmless supplies she had, a set of crayons. Edelgard soon returned to the little child and sat beside her on the comfortable rug near the window before she began demonstrating the curious child how to hold a crayon and draw on the blank canvas she provided. After Edelgard was quite certain that the crayon would not slip out of the tiny hand again and that the little one could doodle freely without her assistant, the Emperor went back to bury herself in the unfinished works on her desk. All the while, the lilac eyes would drift away from the endless pool of letters to the girl with a crayon in her hand, feeling relieved that the child seemed to enjoy splatting her crayon on the white canvas. Edelgard silently wondered if the little child would enjoy using other types of supplies too. Next time then. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A long sigh echoed throughout the hallway of the Enbarr palace during the afternoon as stepping sound continued toward the Emperor’s office. While the first day of the class generally went well, and it felt nice going back to teaching again, Byleth was concerned with how her students acted in the class. Apparently, having the renowned General who was known as the Wings of the Hegemon and the one and only rumored lover of the great Emperor as a teacher might have caused the students to...not know how to act. For the most part of the class, the only thing they could do was just standing stiffly from their toes up to their mind. Byleth sighed again as the picture of a young man trying so hard to say ‘good morning’ with a trembling body and voice came up into the forefront of her mind. It seemed that more talking and bonding had to be on their ways. Nonetheless, those could wait until tomorrow because now that her afternoon was freed, Byleth could try what was on her mind ever since she and the little child met Felix and Caspar yesterday. Byleth had quietly thought about various activities that the child might enjoy. And now that she could decide with one activity for today, she felt her heart beat in anticipation and excitement to find out if the girl would like her idea. With a clear goal in her mind, Byleth strode through the heat and the dry breeze of the afternoon until she could take in a glimpse of the door to the Emperor’s office. She knocked on the wooden door with a unique pattern that Edelgard asked her to do so that she would know it was her, seemingly to avoid the same mistake the Emperor did a while back. Without waiting for the reply, Byleth opened the door to meet her lover, who just lifted her crowned head from the pile of parchments.

With a warm smile and soft eyes, Byleth greeted Edelgard, “Hey, El.” 

“Oh, hi, my love. It’s time already?” Byleth nodded at the subtle smile Edelgard flashed at her with a tint of surprise in her tone.

Thinking that the Emperor might have worked until she lost the sense of time again, Byleth steadily approached the desk and leisurely asked with a tilted head. “So…Busy as ever?” 

With just a simple question, Edelgard dropped her Emperor’s mask and heavily sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose, sending a hard glare at the pile of innocent documents. “Busy as always, I’m afraid. All of these filthy noble trying to make their way through with any method they can just to keep their privilege over others.” 

Byleth quietly listened to the rare groan of the Emperor while looking through the mountain of documents on her desk with a nuisance. She picked a random one up to skim through its content, and she found herself quirked her brow up in amusement. These people never ceased to make trouble out of every trivial thing for the Emperor to the point that Byleth could say she was quite impressed in their skills. However, she was not sure if she should feel impressed for their ability to cause trouble or their absolutely desperate and mindless way to approach things. Nonetheless, the fact that she could not assist Edelgard in dealing with these cunning nobles made her heart felt tight and heavy. 

As her lip was unknowingly pulled down into a frown and her cobalt eyes dimmed their light, Byleth murmured in the voice of a whisper, “I wish I could help.”

Knowing that her kind Byleth might feel disappointed in herself for not being able to help, Edelgard gently pried the paper away from Byleth’s grip before the crimson gloved hand enveloped the firm hand with care. “Thank you, my love. But there’s no way I will drown you with these boring, nonsense assertion. Just having you by my side is enough.”

Edelgard’s genuine words and her delicate smile made Byleth’s heart skipped a beat before that very soft lip pressed against Byleth’s cheek as she pulled her down. The unusual initiation definitely took Byleth off guard as it resulted in the rose shade crept fast onto her usual stoic facade. After the soft lip pried away from her warm skin, Byleth tried her best to swallow down the heat back to its source. Although the shade of pink still remained on her face, Byleth’s recovered and formed her lip up into a mischievous smirk, determined to reclaim her higher ground.

As Byleth drifted closer down to loom over Edelgard on her grand seat, she questioned with a teasing tone, “Feeling bold today, Your Majesty?” 

Without missing a beat, Edelgard retorted back with a smirk of her own, “Can’t the Emperor kisses her beloved whenever she wants?” 

Byleth, who never back down easily, calmly replied while slowly descending until their faces were only an inch apart. “Of course. But I do have one question for the Emperor, though.” 

As her messy blue hair wafted down her face and mingled with the snow-white locks, Byleth relished herself in the sweet breath for a moment before she heard Edelgard whispered with a curious, quirked brow, “...And what could that be?” 

Seeing through her lover’s mock curiosity, Byleth continued as her deep cobalt eyes firmly captured the dazzling lilac pair, “Well, I wonder why…,” a pause and brushing lips, “...the Emperor kissed her beloved on her cheek instead of...” 

A comfortable silence floated leisurely around them as the last word dissolved into the warm breath they shared, and their lips passionately collided with each other. They stayed like that for a while, feeling contented with the presence of each other, and none of them was willing to pry away. Eventually, it was Edelgard who reluctantly broke their kiss with a flush of crimson on her face before she recomposed enough to release her tender voice that was almost out of breath. 

“As much as I want just to spend my day lying around with the little one and you, doing nothing but eating sweets. I do have a dreary meeting to attend to, my love.” 

With eyes still full of adoration, Byleth whispered back in the same volume as if she feared any louder would break the peaceful moment, and she did not want that to happen, “Let’s do just that. Let Hubert handle the meeting.” 

Edelgard let out a weak smile that softened the corner of her eyes before she covered Byleth’s hands in her crimson gloves and gave them a light squeeze. “You know I can’t do that, my love.”

Byleth sighed as her eyes saddened a bit before she let her forehead touched the ornament of Edelgard’s crown, seeking the warm underneath the golden plate. Sometimes, Byleth just wanted to kidnap the Emperor to someplace far away from the massive, burdened responsibility and let Edelgard did whatever she desired. While Byleth quietly played with the strand of snow-white locks, Edelgard, hoping to shift the subject, pried away from the warm touch and brightened her voice. 

“By the way, isn’t it your turn to take care of the little one? You have wanted to play with her since yesterday, haven’t you?” 

The realization flashed within the cobalt eyes as the anticipation and enthusiasm were reignited in them once again before Byleth nodded curtly. Seeing that her attempt was not futile, Edelgard brushed away the messy strand of navy blue hair from the cobalt eyes and tucked them over the slightly pink ear before she let Byleth straightened to search for the little child. By the time the cobalt eyes located the child who was sitting on the soft rug by the large window, a faint knock reached her ears. With that, Edelgard briefly sent a subtle smile to Byleth, silently told her that it was time for the Emperor as well before she stood up and prepared to leave the room. However, when she was about to leave the cobalt’s periphery, Edelgard abruptly halted on her track and tilted her head back slightly to meet Byleth in the eyes. 

“I’ll see you both during dinner, my love. Make sure to tell me everything about your first class later.”

Byleth nodded with a subtle smile, sending the Emperor away to attend the meeting. There would be a lot to talk about, but Byleth was pretty sure that Edelgard might not really enjoy them. After all, the rumor her not-so-subtle relationship with the Emperor was something that seemed to be the cause of the problem in the first place. Nonetheless, Byleth decided to deal with that later as she joined the girl who was busy herself with something on the floor. As Byleth crouched down beside the child, she saw a few canvases and crayons scattered around the area, realizing that Edelgard might have taught the child to draw. When she looked to the child, the canvas that the child was scribbling on with her red crayon was strangely filled with black and spats of red here and there. It was a typical messy drawing of a child’s work, yet it gave an odd feeling for Byleth. Regardless, she did not think much of it. For quite a long while after, Byleth did nothing but silently watched the little one continued throwing her red crayon here and there on the black canvas until the little artist noticed her presence and drifted her blank amethyst eyes to the calm cobalt pair. With that, Byleth decided it might be a good time to initiate what had been on her mind since yesterday. 

“Hey, kid. Do you want to go fishing with me?” 

As usual, the answer Byleth got was a silence and a blink of the blank amethyst eyes, which was something Byleth started to learn that it meant the child was paying attention, so she continued to stir more interest from her, “Do you know what it is? It’s like you go to a pond or a lake where the fishes are with a rod and a bait. Then, you cast them in the water, wait, catch, and eat the fish.” 

While Byleth explained with enthusiastic eyes and overt actions as a demonstration, she noticed that nothing appeared in those amethyst eyes except for the faint glow of curiosity, prompting her to stop. “You know what? Let’s go. I’ll teach you.” 

_Just like how dad taught me._

Byleth silently thought to herself as the child blinked a few times as an answer. Thus, Byleth let out a somewhat childish smile before she helped the girl up on her tiny feet and went to retrieve her fishing gears together. Soon after, they made their way to the lake not so far from the palace, albeit far enough from the noisy city. With the secluded location, it was a great place for fishing and having a quiet time alone. When the time was right, and the Emperor was not so busy with meetings and documents all day, Byleth planned to get her here and spend time together underneath the dim shade of the peaceful forest. Also, unlike the artificial pond in Garreg Mach in which Byleth used to fish every weekend, this lake was a natural one, filled with different kinds of fishes that wandered from the nearby river. It was really a perfect place for resting one’s exhausted body and mind. Byleth relished herself in the afternoon breeze that was transformed into the cool whistling wind by the rustled forest as it leisurely blew through the messy blue hair just like a warm touch of the Goddess. The faint movement of the child she carried in her arms brought Byleth back to the calm lake in front of her before she continued her steps toward the old-looking pier. As the cracking and creaking sound carried on along with the steady steps, Byleth broke the serene silence with a voice that hinted with enthusiasm.

“I only have my rod with me. For now, that will do, but next time, I’ll make sure you have your own, kid.”

One again, there was no response coming from the quiet child besides a slow blink of the amethyst eyes. Nonetheless, they finally reached the end of the long pier, and the scream of the wooden plank stopped. Byleth then gently let the little one down on her bare feet before she sat down beside her and hanged her legs over the clear water below. After noticing the curious amethyst eyes looked at her, Byleth began her lesson. 

“Fishing is actually easy. First, you cast your line into the water…” Byleth paused as she swung her rod back over her head and twisted it back toward the calm water with a satisfying bulb. “Like that. And then, we wait.” 

After she finished her short lesson, Byleth let her weight sank on to the wooden platform with her rod relaxing in hands. For a brief moment, the cobalt eyes glanced toward the child to see her reaction and felt her heart swollen with pride as she saw the big amethyst eyes, fulled of curiosity and anticipation, looked back and forth between the end of the line and the cobalt pair while leaning the small frame a little into the water. In that second, Byleth’s mind trailed back to the broad shoulder and the muscular back, sitting at the edge of the lake with a worn-out rod in the rough hands. While her childhood mostly covered with gray cloud and dusty mist, some were more vivid than others. And one of those was the memory of Jeralt trying his best to teach her how to fish. She remembered quietly watching her dad sat still with distant eyes toward the water until he noticed her. She remembered that she could not understand why her dad seemed to struggle with his words for quite some time until he ended up gently cupped her small hands in his and led her to the large rod. While she was led to sit on his lap with his thick figure loomed over her, she remembered the rod was bigger than she expected, so large that her small hands could not even fully wrap around it. Even so, the calloused, large hands handled the weight of the rod with ease. The moment of stillness together with nothing but a faint bulb was always her favorite silence. Looking back, Byleth wondered if she also had a sparkle in her eyes while she watched Jeralt fished, or if she showed her interest at all. She wondered if he knew she liked it. And when she was within his arms, she wondered if this was how Jeralt felt when he looked at her, if he felt the same as her now, knowing that his girl also loved fishing ever since then. At least that was her wishful thought anyway. A thought that would never be answered. 

“Hey, kid.” 

With a gentle voice calling out to her, the little one slowly and reluctantly looked up to meet the soft cobalt eyes as if she did not want to peer those amethyst eyes away from the bobbling bait in the water. The child blinked a few times as if asking why she called her, prompting a subtle smile from Byleth. 

As Byleth softly patted on her lap, she continued, “Come here. Let’s watch it together.” 

It only took a beat before the child slowly clawed into Byleth’s lap. The girl quickly relaxed within the warm presence of Byleth and leaned herself comfortably against the broader figure. All the while, the amethyst eyes faced the water to quietly watch the solemn surface of the wave rippled by the gentle breeze. They sat like that for a long while, feeling contented with each other’s company. And for Byleth, this definitely felt nostalgia.

Suddenly, Byleth picked up a short, faint crack of, she presumed, a branch, and she instantly whipped her head back to its source within the forest behind her. The narrowed cobalt eyes briefly spotted a tall silhouette before it quickly disappeared into the thick shadow as a hasty rustle of the leaves and bushes continued further away. A moment after, the rustle resumed its steady, peaceful rhythm, but even so, the cautious cobalt eyes kept scanning the area in silence as her hand firmly placed on the hilt of her sword. The silence with occasional steady rustle continued for a long while before Byleth decided it was safe and relaxed her tense body once more. 

As Byleth was about to resume her full grip on the rod, she suddenly felt the small hand grasped on her wrist with a moderate force, not too much to hurt and not too light not to notice. When the cobalt eyes glanced down, she saw that despite her hand gripping on her wrist, the amethyst eyes were looking toward the lake with a faint spark as if something striking was happening in front of the child. And it was then that Byleth felt the light tug from the rod she held with one hand. When she looked up to perceive what was happening, it was the same time the creature that was the source of the force realized the trap it fell into. The small tugging developed into yanking within a mere second, sending both the cobalt and amethyst eyes to widen with surprise. With an instinct of someone who had been fishing for more than half of her life, Byleth instantly jumped up on her feet to put an equal ground with the creature underneath the water, sending the child out of her comfortable seat in the process. While Byleth was having a tug of war with the big creature sticking at her line, the curious child crept closer and closer to the edge of the pier, inspired by the sheer curiosity and wonder of the unknown creature. As Byleth reeled in the fish closer with a tight jaw, the creature used its last resource of survival to send itself above the water in the hope to escape from the line of death, sending a big wave of splash against the curious child’s small face. With a combination of a big and unexpected splash of the water and the surprised jump of the giant fish, the little child jerked backward and was thrown out of her balance. Noticing the event unfold before her, Byleth called out to the stumbling child with a fear that she might fall off the wooden platform while launching herself to grab at the small shoulder in the hope to steady the child. At that moment, the creature, as if seeing the last opportunity for its survival on the surface above, yanked the catcher with all its might, sending the large force dragging both Byleth and the stunned child down into the water with, yet, even bigger splash. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So…that’s why both of you are soaking from head to toe like you just have a bath?” Or like a puppy who had been in the rain for hours, Edelgard continued in silence.

The navy blue hair, which usually had a wild, messy nature, was now tamed and drenched, inclined slightly with guilt painted all over the delicate face that also full of droplets of water that trailed down from the soggy hair. In front of the stern, dark glare was Byleth, who was holding a bucket filled with a fish that was bigger than the container itself and her rod in one hand while carrying the soaked child who hanged down limply on the firm, damp arm in another. At first, the Emperor was on her edge after one guard had interrupted the meeting with a grave expression. He reported that something had happened to the General and the mysterious girl, and it required her immediate attention. She had to postpone the meeting and let Hubert handled the buzz before she hurriedly rushed to the palace’s entrance hall with a grim face. The second that Edelgard saw the two, however, her worry instantly turned into a surprise and bewilderment. And after asking Byleth what was going on with a voice heavy in concern, her sentiment then turned into a hard, rough glare, directing at none other than her own lover. Nonetheless, seeing that they were still in the open, the Emperor sighed heavily to recompose before messaging the bridge of her nose with a mix of relief and exasperation appeared on her facade. It was one of many bittersweet moments that she seemed to have more and more every day she spent time with Byleth at her side. Not that she was opposed to it or anything, but she could not refuse that her beloved sometimes did give her a headache. 

After the Emperor recovered her composure enough to speak again, she continued with a question that was more like a reminder with a stern voice and knitted brows, “Byleth, you remember what Professor Manuela told us about the little one’s health?”

The broad shoulder slumped down as the drenched blue hair fell over to cover the guilty face and the saddened cobalt eyes before Byleth braced herself to reply with a weak voice that barely above a whisper. “That she still in a recovering process…”

Crossing her arms and shifting her weight on one foot, Edelgard quirked her brow as she stared Byleth down. “And?” 

Byleth shrank herself further down before she answered again with a voice that resembled a pitiful whine as if a puppy being scolded by its owner, “...and she is not allowed to do any strenuous and reckless activities.” Byleth paused a beat before she looked up to open her lip again. “But fishing is not-” 

A dark glare instantly returned to the grim lilac eyes and abruptly stopped Byleth’s words from forming. The taller woman, feeling even more guilty, winced at the anger the Emperor directed at her as Byleth lowered down her head and shrank her body even more, making her looked so small compared to the woman in front of her.

Getting reminded of her own incautious act, Byleth whispered once again, “And I should have been more careful with her…”

With such a pathetic sight, Edelgard sighed deeply and heavily as she watched the droplets of water fell down the drenched figure and started to form a small puddle under the sturdy feet. Apparently, it seemed that her lover knew how fragile the child’s condition was, but she persisted in bringing the girl to the lake where, as it appeared, there was a chance of falling and getting soaked. And it was located outside the palace no less. Edelgard sighed through her nose audibly as she was almost letting out a groan. And she silently wondered if she would have enough breath to blow out idly. While Edelgard was thinking about continuing scolding her lover for the childish action, a small, squeaky sneeze stopped everything within the tiny sound’s array, including Edelgard’s thought. Without missing a beat, both pair of lilac and cobalt glanced down at the source of the sound and saw a thin, long drop of...sticky substance dripping down from the small nose, sending yet another pang of guilt on Byleth. 

Seeing that her beloved had learned her lesson quite enough, Edelgard looked at the guilty face of Byleth’s with a softened, albeit just a little, eyes before she decided that it was time to overcome the cause and properly deal with the consequences. “Anyway, let’s take both of you out of those soaked clothes first, and then we will continue this conversation somewhere warmer.” 

After uncrossing her arms and relaxing her tense shoulder, the Emperor took off her long crimson cape and quickly threw them over the little child’s drenched figure. Edelgard wrapped the thick, vast cape tightly to make sure that the fabric would keep the slightly shivering child warm for the time being, at least until she could give her a dry set of cloth. With that, Edelgard took the small figure out of Byleth’s hold and carefully carried her close to her chest. However, before Edelgard could fully turn on her heels down the hallway, Byleth interrupted her with a light tug at her forearm. And so, turning back to see the saddened, pitiful cobalt eyes looking at her, Edelgard tilted her head slightly as she waited for whatever Byleth wanted to say. A moment of silence had passed for Edelgard began to be concerned as Byleth kept looking at the puddle under her feet and refused to meet the lilac eyes. Perhaps, Byleth was thinking she was furious at her, so the poor, soaked woman did not dare to say anything. 

Thus, when Edelgard was about to reassure and comfort her lover with absolute empathy, Byleth opened her lip and whined, “I want to be wrapped in your cape too.” 

“....”

“....”

“You…are insufferable.”

With her finished line to cut off any more conversation, Edelgard whipped her head back and about to resume her way to her bed-chamber with a dark cloud over her cold facade.

“But El. I’m cold too.” 

Byleth, who never gave in to anything without a rough fight, managed to stop the Emperor by hugging her from behind as she pressed her cold, wet skin against the pale cheek as if begging for the warmth of her lover. However, no matter how adorable her beloved tried to be, and already was, Edelgard would not fall for it. Not this time, at least. 

“No.” 

The short, cold rejection pulled down the corner of Byleth’s lip further before the drenched woman tried again with even more pleading in her voice as she pushed herself deeper against Edelgard, forcing the crimson regalia absorbed the water in the process.

“Please?” 

While the drenched woman rubbed her cheek against the dry, pale skin and drifted down to the exposed area of her neck, the slightly brown eyebrows started to mingle together in annoyance before Edelgard really had enough. “Byleth. If you don’t let me go in this second-”

“-I’m sorry.”

The guilty, muffled apology against the crook of her neck stopped Edelgard from her track and let her lip hanged open. The Emperor then glanced back at the soggy navy blue hair on her shoulder that covered a somber face of her lover underneath, prompting the lilac eyes to lose its rough edge and fill with empathy instead. Unknowingly, the crimson gloved hand reached to the hidden face under the drenched hair as her thumb gently stroked the damp cheek. 

All the while, Edelgard quietly listened to the weak, muffled voice that continued pouring out apologies, “I’m sorry I let this happened. I didn’t mean to. And I’m sorry I make you mad…”

The lilac eyes softened as fondness returned to them. Despite not seeing what was underneath the soaked hair, Edelgard could see how genuinely sorry and heartbroken Byleth must feet right now. And so, briefly, Edelgard planted a light kiss on the soaked navy blue head before she softly spoke into it with gentleness and understanding, “I know you never meant to, Byleth. I know you just wanted to play with her. So I‘m not mad at you.”

Upon hearing so, Byleth lifted her heavy head up slightly as the saddened cobalt eyes looked into the soothing lilac pair as if she still did not believe Edelgard’s words. So the snow-white locks confirmed her words again by showing her genuine, soft smile along with a slight nod. Slowly, the somber cobalt eyes were replaced with a brighter light as the frown was replaced with a vivid smile that somewhat reminded Edelgard of a child who was forgiven from her misbehave after a decent scolding. The relieved smile was not there for Edelgard to witness far too long as Byleth buried herself back into the crook of her neck and muffled some incoherent words that Edelgard could not interpret. And with a tighter embrace that further soaked her regalia no less. 

Edelgard tempted to let out another sigh but decided not to and, instead, continued reminding her lover of the need to resume her track with a teasing tone, “But I’ll be mad at you _for real_ if you still cling on me like this. Not to mention that it will make the little one sick in the process.” 

Byleth rubbed her face against the firm shoulder a few times, staining the crimson regalia with her damp face before she tilted her head up to smile at the slightly shocked lilac eyes. “She will be fine, El. Kid is stronger than you know.”

Quirking her brow higher, Edelgard could not help but reveal a smirk on her face. “Is that so? Saying by someone who just makes her soaked like a poor puppy and probably get sick soon.”

Her teasing might have touched too rough on the new wound as Edelgard saw Byleth’s face dim its light once again, and her lip murmured weakly, “Sorry…”

Seeing clearly how guilty her lover was, Edelgard was quick to alter her tone to the soothing one as she continued gently patting the damp cheek to comfort Byleth. “There, there. I promise I won’t be mad if you let go of me and let me change both of you out of your cloth.” 

“But you’re so warm.” Byleth muffled weakly with her head still buried into the firm shoulder as if she was having a hard time deciding whether to anger the Emperor further or continue relishing in the pleasant warmth.

Now that when everything was cooled down, admittedly, it was quite difficult for Edelgard to get mad at this woman. And so, she could not help but reveal a weak smile as she tightened her hold on the little one and resumed her soon-to-be-a-struggle path toward their bed-chamber, considering the additional person that clung to her back. 

“Alright. I guess I’ll just have to walk like this until we get to our room then.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for waiting and reading!  
> So for the past weeks, let's say life happened, and I was sick due to the high stress, and then my mind couldn't form a single word.  
> While I wanted to let this chapter out sooner, I didn't want to just threw in the words and post it. That's why it took sooo long.  
> Anyway, my school almost done, but my life still have its blade on my neck. I hope everything will be settle down soon. But who knows.  
> Sometimes life never stopped chasing you even when you are so exhausted and just wanted it to end.  
> Alright, that's enough nonsense babbling. What so you think about this chapter?  
> Now we have another magic thing. A stuffy. No one really know why children like them so much.  
> Also, I felt refresh writing from Felix's perspective rather than Byleth or Edelgard as usual. That was fun.  
> Oh! And the last sequence? I hope it turned out as well as what was in my head.
> 
> Lastly, thank you for 50 Kudos! I've never thought I would have this many Kudos and much less having other reading my plain story.  
> I'll definitely finish this work for sure, but the main concern would be "when" will I finish it.  
> I hope you will keep following the story til the end together with me.  
> Anyway, please take care of yourself out there and I'll see you again next time!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Song track: i-AM - Blue Exorcist OST by Sawano Hiroyuki

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm back with another chapter. I still can't believe I actually write something for more than 10 chapters.  
> And yes, it took me 10 chapters later to know how to show a summary of the whole fic in the front page...I'm so dumb. Please, help.  
> I was always wondered why my fic did not show a summary of the story like others. Anyway, I updated that and cried a bit for my little dumb-dumb.  
> Now, onto the story.  
> This one is still in a light-hearted zone. No more heavy stuffs for a while.  
> So I hope you enjoy this chapter as always!

“El, Can I bring the kid to go fishing again?” 

Upon hearing such an innocent, yet daring and reckless request, Edelgard looked at her lover with narrowed eyes full of silent disapproval. Byleth, despite wincing at the hard glare that directed at her, did not back down. Instead, her face was pulled down into a sad, pitiful frown as her cobalt eyes flickered with a subtle pleading light, silently trying to persuade her lover. 

After their eyes meet for a while with no further response from the Emperor, Byleth continued pleading, albeit with her voice this time around, “Please? She’s been eating and sleeping well. She’s doing a lot better now, El. Manuela said that too.” 

Despite knowing what Manuela had said in regard to the little child’s improvement, Edelgard narrowed her worried lilac eyes further. While it was true that the child seemed to be doing a lot better compared to a few weeks ago, judging from how her body gained more flesh and her face became brighter, Edelgard could not let go of the uneasiness she felt after witnessing the first time Byleth took the girl to the lake. Indeed, that day was not the first impression of fishing that either Edelgard or the little child hoped for. However, knowing full well how Byleth had learned her lesson and how good she usually was at teaching, eventually, Edelgard let out a long, defeated sigh and allowed such a request with a slight nod, prompting a bright smile on Byleth’s face in an instant. Trying to warn her lover not to get this permission too far, Edelgard sternly interrupted the subtle spring under Byleth’s step as she approached the child at the window. 

“Just make sure both of you come back with a dry cloth, please. And don’t forget, you have an afternoon lesson to teach.” 

With that, Byleth beamed up and replied with an enthusiastic tone, “Of course.”

A few beats later, Byleth excitedly ran off with the little one, who still refused to put on her shoes, tightly in hand. Edelgard slightly shook her head at the sight even though there was a weak smile appearing on her facade. It seemed that her lover was having a good time with the little one lately. While Edelgard was a bit concerned that Byleth might have taken her closeness with the little girl too far, the Emperor could not find an urge to prevent that from happening. After all, both Byleth and the quiet child seemed to greatly enjoy each other’s company even though it might be difficult for others to actually notice their subtle enjoyment. Speaking of the girl, Edelgard inwardly took a mental note to have the servant be more careful with tending to the floor of the palace and the nearby area. Not that they did not do a fascinating job already, but it might be a good idea to check them in person for a long while ever since Edelgard had been giving this responsibility to Hubert the moment she was the Emperor and was busy with the war council. Besides, the child’s health had been improved tremendously, and Edelgard could not risk having more scar marred those tiny feet. 

Left alone among the pile of parchments and the silence once again, Edelgard glanced her lilac eyes around, feeling somehow unfamiliar with the emptiness of her office. She found that it was quite a surprise how much she got so used to the quiet presence of the little child within her office. Usually, the girl would be with her most of the time, including whenever she had to deal with parchments in this very room. When that was the case, Byleth, who was in her free time from teaching, would sit nearby the girl as she either drew with her or quietly watched Edelgard work together with the amethyst eyes. At first, the Emperor found their presence to be quite unsettling, feeling somehow embarrassing and jarring from being observed in every movement. It was as if the two sent her a pressured stare, silently forced her to stop working and play with them instead. But now that both of them were away, she would be lying if she said she did not miss those so-called unsettling stares. And it had been only over a moon since they took in the little child no less. Deep down, Edelgard knew that the closeness between them and the child might actually backfire on them later, but once again, she could not find an urge to give up the child away for other people and abruptly discontinued such a bond. At least, Hubert was working on a search mission to find an adopter for the girl. Until then, she would just have to wait and let Byleth and the child enjoy their time together at the most. All the while, she would watch them from afar and prepare herself for everything. With that, the lilac eyes went back to the document in her hand and continued her responsibility as the Emperor in silence.

By the time she noticed the sense of time again, Edelgard heard a unique pattern of knocks on the door, and it soon followed by the messy blue hair and the shaggy snow-white locks that came through the doorway. Strangely, Byleth came in without saying anything nor looking at her as the messy blue locks went straight to the large window and lowered down the curtain in silence.

The peculiar action prompted Edelgard to quirk her brow in question as she called out to her lover. “Hi, my love. That was quick.”

Byleth carefully settled down the child, who still held a small rod in her hands, on the vast rug before the pensive cobalt eyes turned back to the inquisitive lilac pair as if Byleth was inwardly deciding whether to tell her something or not. 

After she seemed to conclude the internal conflict, Byleth spoke up with her stoic face that was a stark contrast to the facade she had when she left the room, “While we were fishing, I saw a shadow that could have been following us ever since the last time I brought kid to that lake.”

Edelgard’s facade instantly dimmed down into a grim face as she stopped everything she was doing and fully paid attention to Byleth’s assessment. “Do you know who it was? Maybe it was a villager?”

Byleth contemplated Edelgard’s speculation before she shook her head slightly and replied, “It is a secret place, so only a few know it. And I know all of those few people. Besides, the shadow never came too close to us, but not too far for me to not notice. I don’t feel good about this, El.”

After listening to Byleth’s assessment of the suspicious situation, Edelgard deepened her frown. While there was not substantial information aside from the shadow itself, considering so many times she spent with the messy blue locks by her side, Edelgard knew quite well that Byleth’s instinct was almost accurate in every situation. And if she said this mysterious shadow was alarming, then Edelgard should take it so.

Thus, the Emperor curtly nodded as she said, “I’ll have Hubert look into it. In the meantime, I’ll be more cautious as well.”

With the Emperor’s words to take this matter further, Byleth slightly nodded. Nonetheless, the cobalt eyes still flashed with concern as they wandered toward the child who innocently played with the small rod in one hand and held the teddy bear closed in another. 

As Edelgard wanted to ease the cloud in those cobalt eyes, she reassured Byleth again with a soothing voice. “Don’t worry, my love. We will figure this out together when we get more information. But for now, let me take care of the little one while you take care of the class.”

Byleth relaxed her tensed shoulders a bit as she nodded again with a lighter cloud in the cobalt eyes. She stayed with the child for a moment, teaching her a mock fishing lesson, before she had to go teaching her real students. After it was only her and the little child, Edelgard contemplated on what Byleth told her and got more reckless as she thought about when Byleth came in and closed the curtain at that moment. And so, she decided that it would be safer if she had the child close to her until she informed Hubert and had more information about the potential spy. A spy, she had a fainted glimpse of what they were and why they came. With that, Edelgard called out to the little one before the blank amethyst eyes looked back at her. Seeing the woman lightly patted on her lap, the girl jogged toward her without hesitation as she let go of the small rod in her hands before she was lifted up to sit on Edelgard’s lap. By the time that the child found her comfortable position, the small frame leaned back against the Emperor as the amethyst eyes looked up at the soft lilac pair. Edelgard flashed her a smile before she went back to her works. And from time to time, the child would lean over the desk to curiously stare at the document Edelgard was working on, prompting another small smile from the Emperor in the process. While working with the little one on her lap might slow down her work efficiency, Edelgard had to admit that even so, working felt a bit more bearable than usual with the small, curious child occasionally chimed in. 

They stayed like that for a long while until the tiny hand started creeping toward the quill in Edelgard’s hand. Since she did not need it at the moment, Edelgard decided to lend the child her quill until she needed it again to sign the document after. However, while the lilac eyes were scanning through the document in her hand, the rustles of papers emerged beneath her. Wondering what the girl was doing, the lilac eyes pried away from the wall of letters to the scattered, disarranged documents on her desk where she expected to see the neat stack of organized piles as it was supposed to. While the lilac eyes widened in mild surprise and bewilderment, the little culprit randomly reached for one paper among the messy pools and was about to touch the black ink at the tip of the quill in her hand on it. The second she saw that, Edelgard swiftly threw away the document in her hand and grabbed the small figure up and away from the paper on her desk before the tiny hand and her quill could stain the diplomatic document. After letting out a relieved sigh, Edelgard glanced into the blank amethyst eyes that directed down at her innocently, asking ‘why’ silently. 

Thinking that the child might be bored or simply wanted to draw, Edelgard decided to get another chair from the corner of her office and placed it across her desk. And then, she gently let the child down on the chair with a soft cushion served as a support so that the child would be able to lean on the desk just like when she was on Edelgard’s lap. After the child settled, Edelgard strode off to retrieve a blank canvas and the set of crayons for the little artist. However, even after the Emperor had settled down on her grand chair and was about to resume her duty, the amethyst eyes kept looking at her with a quill in her tiny hand, completely ignoring the crayons and canvas. Edelgard quirked her brow slightly as she did not understand what the child wanted, but she quickly, albeit reluctantly, let it pass. She had so many documents to review and approve, after all. As she reorganized the documents into a neat stack once again, the crimson gloved hand reached to retrieve and resume her review on the document she was reading a minute ago. And yet, the rustles continued across her desk. The lilac eyes took a peek at the little child who was holding a document in hand and looked at it as if she was reading its content. And when Edelgard laid down the document, retrieved an extra quill, and approved the paper with her signature, the child across the desk did the same as the tiny hand placed down the document and was about to lay her quill on it. Fortunately, the crimson gloved hand was fast enough to stop another possible tragedy of the vital document. The Emperor let out a long sigh that almost sounded like a groan while the amethyst eyes looked at her innocently. Again. 

Edelgard took a moment to quietly contemplate on what the child wanted and how to handle her peculiar action. It was quite strange since the little one never gave her a hard time like this before. Suddenly, an idea came into her mind. Letting go of the tiny hand with a quill, Edelgard went to the shelves near her desk and retrieved a stack of the discarded documents she was about to ask the servant to throw them away. After placing them beside the girl and rearranged all of the diplomatic documents away from the tiny, dangerous hands, Edelgard went back to take her seat and resumed her task. As she predicted, the moment Edelgard started reading a new document, the girls across her desk did the same. And when the Emperor approved the document with her quill, the girl followed with her scribble on the discarded paper, which Edelgard intentionally arranged, with her own quill in the tiny hand. When the Emperor moved on to the next document, the child mimicked her movement and did the same. Such an odd, yet adorable, behavior prompted a faint giggle from Edelgard as the lilac eyes secretly observed the little girl across her. 

_What a peculiar child._

After that, for a long while, they worked together in a light silence without any further issues until Hubert came in with his usual reports. As Edelgard was reading the document Hubert had brought for her, the retainer was poked lightly by a tiny hand beside him. When the golden eyes looked down at the source of the small distraction, the little one was handing her quill toward the man as if she was giving it to him. Looking at the girl with a quirked brow, Hubert could not fathom what the girl wanted, so he did nothing and turned back to his Emperor, who had been secretly watching the girl behind the document she was holding. A moment passed, the girl nudged Hubert again with the tip of the quill that slightly pricked the skin under the black fabric. And so, this time, to stop such a nonsense distraction, Hubert reached out his hand, thinking that getting what the girl gave would just stop what she did. However, as he reached for the quill, the girl retracted her hand and went back to the discarded document, ignoring the frozen, confused man beside her. Hubert, with his eye twitching in mild annoyance, sighed quietly and went back to stand still again, pretending that nothing happened. But then he felt the faint prickle of the sharp tip again. As he looked down at the girl with big amethyst eyes that stared at him expectantly, the grim face began pulling into irritation. While he sent an inquisitive stare mixed with an agitated flare, asking silently what on earth she wanted, the girl reached out her quill toward him once again and beckoned him to take it. To prevent what happened last time, he snapped quickly toward the feather, determining to successfully get it before the scheming girl could retract her hand. And got it, he did. But when he tried to retrieve the object away from the tiny hand, he could not because the girl did not let it go as he assumed she would. And there was no sign for her to actually let it go. Thus, a little tug of war began quietly between them as the quill’s feather was pulled left and right. Suddenly, the thin, feather tail of the quill slipped through the big, gloved hand. After that, while the girl silently went back to her discarded paper as if nothing happened, Hubert was standing there, frozen in place, feeling like something was boiling within him to the point that it made his hands shake a tad bit. Before he could be fully aware of the boiling feeling, Hubert heard a small giggle coming from the Emperor’s way. 

Hubert cleared his throat audibly and straightened himself before speaking with a recomposed tone, “Your majesty. I am wondering what it is that you find so amusing.” 

The Emperor continued her light chuckle for a beat before she looked up at the collected golden eyes that tried to conceal its irritation and replied simply, “She seems to like you a lot, Hubert.” 

Knowing that his lady might see through him, Hubert closed his eyes to hide his emotion behind the curtain as he politely denied the matter. “I do not know what you are talking about, Lady Edelgard.” 

As her lip curled up into a small smirk, Edelgard casually rested on her elbow and looked at her retainer with eyes filled with mischief. “Come now, Hubert. She never played like that with others, not even me or Byleth.” 

Hubert opened his eyes to take in such nostalgic, playful eyes as he continued to reject his lady’s words with a light scoff as if to deny such a thing happened. “I do not think this is something to be called ‘playing,’ Lady Edelgard.” 

The teasing lilac eyes stared at the unfazed golden pair for a while before Edelgard let out a defeated sigh and backed down, albeit with a smirk remaining on her facade. “Well, have it your way then.” 

With that, Hubert secretly glanced at the little culprit beside him and sent a hard glare at her. However, his glare did not stir the child one bit. Thinking he should not let the trivial trouble distract him from his duty, Hubert took a few moments to clear his throat and recomposed once again before he continued his report, “Last thing, Your Majesty. Regarding Those Who Slither in the Dark, Leonie and Alois reported a few discoveries of their nests. However, there was no sight of any minions positioned in any of those nests at all.”

While Edelgard signed the document she had in hand as her ears tentatively listened to her retainer, her brow quirked up in suspicion. When they still worked quite closely with those wicked kinds, Edelgard knew that they would never leave their small bases unattended. Otherwise, it would be too risky for them to lose their precious Crest knowledge and experiment. However, if she assumed, based on this information, it likely meant that other bases that scattered around the continent might also be empty as well. No wonder why they were quieter than usual. If that was true, then it meant Those Who Slither really changed their way of approaching things after they were suspicious of the Empire’s intention of the war. Edelgard unknowingly knitted her brows together as she somehow felt her heart heavy in concern. She did not like this one bit. With their current move, it was like a quiet, calm sky before a destructive storm. 

Thus, Edelgard sternly commanded her retainer with a mingled eyebrow, “Keep watching their movement. We need more information about what they are planning. And speaking of which, Byleth told me she found a suspicious shadow following her or rather, the little one as of late. I will not assume the link between the two right away, but I do not want to risk it either.” 

Hubert slightly inclined his head in compliance. “Understood. I will look into such troubles and increase the guards within the palace as well as the surrounding place.” 

After conversing about other matters in general, Hubert left the room to start his classified investigation. And for the Emperor, she had to prepare herself for a crucial task of the day, which was listening to the citizen’s request and hardship. Not long after, Edelgard found herself in the audience chamber of the Enbarr palace. Here, it was where the Emperor would come and listen to what problems the citizens were facing and what she, as the Emperor, could do to compromise such hardship. It was one of many duties of the Emperor that always drained every ounce of her stamina for the day. Thus, the audience chamber tended to open not so often and with a limited time frame. Due to the small window to express their concerns directly to the Emperor, there was always an endless line of citizens waiting for their turns every time the audience chamber opened its gate. And this time was just like other times where Edelgard came into the audience chamber as the tail of the line was far beyond the lilac eyes could see. The second that the Emperor appeared at the gate of the audience chamber, the noisy room went completely silent as the citizens in the line humbly bowed for her arrival. However, the first thing that the Emperor did was scanning around the room for a moment before she led the little girl with the same snow-white hair toward the empty chair at the corner of the chamber, located not far from the throne. After making sure that the child settled well on her special seat, Edelgard took her place at the throne and began listening to the problems that the citizens had brought to consult.

While the Emperor tentatively concentrated on the poor citizens’ words and the accommodating solutions, the waiting child, who had her armored bear closed to her chest and her small legs slightly swung casually, was quietly watching the stern facade and the endless wall of people. The blank amethyst eyes swept through the people who stood after one another in silence, passing through all different people with fatigued or troubled facades. And then, the amethyst eyes traveled to a light-brown-haired girl who seemed to be around her age, albeit quite taller, and her mother who stood beside her with the same hair color. For a brief moment, the blank eyes met the other eyes full of life, but that was long enough for the other girl with light brown hair to shed away her boredom and whispered something to her mother. However, the mother seemed to disapprove of her words as she shook her head slightly before the fatigued eyes with visible wrinkles on their corner shifted back to the crimson regalia at the front of the line. The light brown locks pouted out a little before she secretly sneaked away from her mother and walked on her tiptoe toward the chair the snow-white locks were sitting on. 

When she was closed enough, the light brown locks quietly asked, “Hi. Are you here to talk to the Emperor too?”

However, the amethyst eyes did not answer as they kept staring at the girl before her in silence. The lack of response, instead of prompting the light brown locks to turn back to her mother, actually prompted her to continue with even brighter light in the orange eyes, “I’m Linde. Do you want to play? It’s boring waiting in the line.”

The snow-white locks tilted her head in question while the amethyst eyes peered back to the mother, who nervously tried to call her naughty daughter back in line. It seemed that the woman could not come to take her herself because it meant giving up the spot for others to take. With no further response once again, Linde decided to drag the little one down from the seat by her scarred wrist and led her to the empty area quite a bit further from the throne. When she was sure that her mother would not be able to catch her, Linde stopped and turned back to the blank amethyst eyes with a lively smile. 

“Let’s play ‘it’,” Linde exclaimed with eyes full of pureness and life before she started running away from the confused amethyst eyes. 

Seeing that the snow-white locks were still rooted to her place, Linde halted on her track and turned back slightly to briefly explain, “You are it! Now you have to catch me. Come on!” 

The light brown locks beckoned the little one to come after her before she started running off again with a distant giggle. Although the amethyst eyes kept fluttering in confusion, she lowered her stance before the snow-white locks swiftly launched off after Linde. Of course, with her outstanding skill and body, plus the power of her two Crests, the little one could catch Linde with ease, prompting the wide, surprised eyes from the light brown locks who just happened to realize that she was caught already. 

Seeing the strange girl performed such an impressive running skill, Linde looked back at the blank amethyst eyes with orange eyes filled with awe before it was quickly replaced by determination as Linde declared, “You’re good, but I won’t give up! Now it’s your turn to run!”

And so, the amethyst eyes flashed with a bright light before the shaggy snow-white locks ran away. With that, the ‘it’ game finally began. Even without her full capacity, Linde was struggling to catch the swifty little one who easily outran her. But even so, the light brown locks kept running after the snow-white locks with a bright smile and a light chuckle along with her movement, not a single sign of giving up to be seen. Seeing the two was playing in delight, which was a sharp contrast to the boring line, the other children who were with their family in the line began joining the two. And soon, the empty area of the audience chamber was filled with children delightedly running around, taking turns to be ‘it.’ With such an unfamiliar joyful air surrounding her, the blank amethyst eyes soon filled with a bright light that could rival even the stars under the night moon. And that light grew even brighter the more the little one continued running around with other children who were full of life and joy. As the coincidental playground escalated more in its intensity with the sound of chuckles and laughter, the guards moved closer to the group of children, determining to stop such improper and distracted behavior. But the guards were not the only one who noticed the playground unfolded before them, the Emperor noticed them as well, quietly watching and smiling fondly at the sight of children having fun. 

And thus, when one of the guards harshly caught Linde by her arm, the Emperor immediately declared from her throne with a stern voice, “Halt. No one will harm any of the children over there.”

As the guard slowly backed down and let go of Linde, her mother was quick to be by her daughter’s side and forced Linde down on her knees along with herself. With a shaking voice filled with trepidation, the mother said, “My sincere apology, Your Majesty. It is my fault that my daughter did not behave well. Please, I’m begging you. Punish me instead.” 

The Emperor quirked her brow a bit higher as she spoke up from her throne with a surprisingly relaxed voice as if she was trying to calm the frightful mother down, “Do not be afraid. I cannot see anything she and the other children did as wrong. It is their nature to play, so let them play. Who am I to stop them?” 

The Emperor’s unexpected words made the eyes of the citizens and the guards within the chamber widened in surprise as they started to make a quiet murmur that did not go past the Emperor’s ears. Nonetheless, Edelgard ignored them all as the soft lilac eyes shifted toward the group of children, specifically at the wide, bright amethyst eyes who still held onto her teddy bear closed, among other dim, fearful eyes. 

When she looked into those radiant amethyst eyes, Edelgard quietly placed her finger on her lip and said, “Make sure you don’t be too loud to disturb your parents and the other in the chamber, alright children?” 

The Emperor’s permission that went through her lip brought bright smiles to adorn every child’s faces before they continued their joy with a minimizing sound. However, the guards gently shepherded them further away from the throne to the nearby area of the gateway instead, albeit still within the Emperor’s watchful sight. After making sure that the children could continue their precious time during such a boring convention, the lilac eyes turned back to the couple she was talking to, wearing the Emperor mask once again. However, from time to time, the Emperor would take a few moments to take a silent glance at the group of children with smiles and laughter floating around as if seeing them innocently played together could fill up the Emperor’s stamina to move on to the next and the next request of the waiting, faithful citizens. Unknowingly, during that day, many who was within the chamber had noticed how different the Emperor’s facade was from when she talked to children compared to her usual stern look they were so used to. And soon after that day, the words of the Emperor’s kindness were spreading out to the city and other territories like wildfire, prompting wide eyes of surprise and a smile of respect upon everyone who heard the story. 

By the time that the sun hung low on the horizon and the arrays of light turned orange, eventually, the guard rang the bell as a message of the closing gate and the end of the convention within the audience chamber. After a long day of sitting and listening to her citizen’s hardship, Edelgard tempted to relieve her stiff body with a long stretch. Unfortunately, the citizens were just about to turn back on their heels, and it would not be a pleasant sight to see their Emperor showed such tiredness. And so, the only thing Edelgard could do was simply sighing faintly as the weary lilac eyes quietly watched the group of people scattered out of the chamber. Among them, she spotted the familiar snow-white locks surrounded by other slightly taller heads. As the other children started to bid their goodbye and followed their family members out of the chamber one by one, the shaggy snow-white locks simply stood there and watched them go in silence. All the while, her snow-white head turned to follow every single one of those who walked away from their group and disappeared into the gate toward the outside. Edelgard inwardly wondered what those amethyst eyes might look like. The little one seemed to have a fun time running around with other children, having to watch them go might have saddened the girl. Thus, desiring to see those bright eyes once again, Edelgard silently took a mental note to make time for the little girl to play with other children more. Perhaps, after discussing with Byleth, it might be the right time to bring her into the city and meet new people, possibly and preferably, around her age. Just thinking about it brought a warm smile on the Emperor’s fatigued face. She wondered what the child would react to. 

After there were no more citizens and the chamber was left in silence once again, Edelgard slowly descended from her throne to the quiet child who had been standing still since the last child left the chamber with his mother in tow. As the lilac eyes stole a glance at the little one, she saw the amethyst eyes returned to a blank slate once again and even seemed to be somewhere further away, somewhere Edelgard was unsure if she could reach out and bring her back. But she did so anyway. As the crimson gloved hands gently placed on the small shoulders, the little one blinked and slowly turned her blank amethyst eyes to the soft lilac eyes above her, returning from wherever she was to the soft lilac eyes. Edelgard flashed the girl a subtle smile before they made their way back to the Emperor’s office together.

Not long after, they were walking together, hand-in-hand, in silence under the bright orange light of the sunset that seeped through the window into the long hallway. When Edelgard could take in a glimpse of her office’s door, she spotted a messy blue hair striding down the other side of the hallway toward them. However, when she was about to call out for her lover, she spotted a black fur ball snuggled close to Byleth’s chest. Apparently, Byleth was not alone. As both parties reached each other at the door to the office’s entrance, Byleth flashed Edelgard a smile while the latter simply quirked her brow in question.

Seeing that her beloved would not tell her right on, Edelgard asked, “So, what do you have there, my love?”

With that, Byleth carefully uncurled the creature in her arms and lifted it up in front of the wide lilac eyes, prompting the long, slim tail of the creature almost slapped into the pale face. “A cat. You haven’t played with one since Garreg Mach, right?”

The surprised lilac eyes looked into the dilated pupil of the bright yellow eyes as the long black, furry tail leisurely twisted left and right. The black cat with a thick, fluffy fur let out a faint meow before it widely yawned, prompting a small chuckle from Edelgard as the crimson gloved hand gently rubbed the soft fur behind the feline’s ear. As the small head snuggled closed into the crimson glove, Edelgard thought back to the recent past when they still had taken a stronghold at Garreg Mach after the end of the great war against the Church. Byleth asked her one day with a white cat sleeping on her lap if Edelgard really liked cats. Apparently, those piercing cobalt eyes had observed her ever since the Academy’s days when Edelgard secretly played with the stray cats whenever she was allowed to. She played with them so frequently that one cat decided to wait for her in front of her dorm every day. Besides, there were quite a few times that the renowned Professor had conversed with her about the adorable feline flocks during their precious tea time. And so of course, the fact that she loved cats could never slip under the perceptive cobalt eyes. After she awkwardly admitted so, Edelgard would see Byleth bring her a few cats while she was busy herself with the meeting and recovering process, claiming she wanted the Emperor to relax. However, ever since they moved here, there were not many cats found within the Enbarr palace. Thus, unfortunately, it ended Byleth’s small, pleasant routine that the Emperor, admittedly, had looked forward to every day. However, the fact that her lover unhesitantly brought her a cat the instant she saw one tremendously warmed Edelgard’s heart.

Upon seeing the Emperor’s pleasing face, Byleth’s lip formed into a subtle smile as she fleshed out how she met this little fella, “I found this one roaming near the wall outside, so I kidnapped her for a bit. I think kid might like it too.”

Edelgard’s chuckle went brighter to the point that she had to hide it behind her gloved hand as she noticed the pink collar around the feline’s neck. Using the word ‘kidnapping’ was not really too far from the truth, after all. After her giggle died down, Edelgard remarked with a relaxed tone, “That’s very thoughtful of you as always, my love. I think the little one will like-” 

The instant that the lilac eyes could not find what they were looking for beside her, Edelgard’s heart abruptly halted for a beat. After she recovered, the wide lilac eyes hastily glanced around to find the little shaggy locks. Fortunately, the girl was not too far from where she was standing a few minutes ago as Edelgard noticed the contour of a small, curled figure under her crimson cape. Thus, slowly, Edelgard dropped on her knees and pried the cape away, revealing the trembling child who curled up around the armored bear underneath. The sight quickly filled the lilac eyes with worry before she glanced back to Byleth, who also clearly showed concern on her facade. Despite not knowing what made the little child shook in, as Edelgard assumed, fear, both of them tried to comfort her with various soft words. However, when Byleth slowly knelt down to get closer to the little one with a cat still hung close to her, the trembling suddenly increased in its intensity, making Byleth halt her movement in that instant. Thinking that the girl might be shocked by her movement, Byleth tried to slow down her action to kneel. But the closer Byleth was, the harder the child shook. While both adults still could not fathom why the little child acted strangely, being the first time they saw the girl was afraid of Byleth, a loud meow raised from Byleth’s arms. At that moment, the trembling girl jerked up a bit and shifted herself to hide behind Edelgard as the shaking amethyst eyes directed at the innocent black cat.

Upon realizing what scared the child, Byleth quickly jerked away from her as she exclaimed with a sad frown, “Oh. I’m sorry, kid. I’ll take it away. Don’t worry.”

As the saddened, apologetic cobalt eyes shifted to the lilac pair, Edelgard gently wrapped the trembling girl in her arms and spoke up softly to comfort both the little one and the saddened woman, “There, there. Byleth just wanted to make you happy, little one. Don’t be afraid. I’m here. My love, don’t overthink it, alright?”

With that, Byleth slightly nodded as she got up on her feet even though the sadness still remained on her face. And then, with a somber voice, Byleth said, “I’ll take the cat back to where I found it. I’ll be back soon, El.” 

After getting an affirmative nod from her lover, Byleth turned back on her heels and walked away in silence. All the while, the cobalt eyes glanced back at the shaking amethyst eyes, which still refused to meet anyone but her teddy bear, with worry and a silent apology. Edelgard was really worried that her lover might blame herself for making the little one shivered with fear like this. However, after she was out of their sights for a while, Edelgard felt a faint movement from the child within her arms. As she glanced down, she saw the amethyst eyes, which already recovered from the intense fear and trembling, weakly scanned around the empty space before her. 

Thinking that the child might still be fearful of a cat, Edelgard softly caressed the shaggy snow-white hair as she soothed her with a firm, yet gentle, voice. “There’s no cat around here anymore, little one. Byleth took it away just now.”

Even though the Emperor tried to calm her down, the little one kept looking around the hallway as if her words did not solve the reason why the girl kept turning her head around. While the confused lilac eyes watched the girl in silence, the shaggy snow-white locks started keeping up its pace in turning and scanning her surroundings. Eventually, the child pried herself away from Edelgard’s embrace for a bit as the small figure straightened to look over the end of the hallway. It was as if the girl was looking for something, or rather someone. When Edelgard began to get a grip on what the child tried to communicate through her silent language, the corner of her lip pulled up into a warm smile. 

As the crimson gloved hand gently placed on the shaggy snow-white locks, Edelgard softly assured the child, “Don’t worry. She’ll be back soon. And I’ll tell her that you want to play with her later, alright?”

Upon hearing so, the amethyst eyes stopped their search and returned to the soft lilac eyes with a blink. The girl then brought herself back into the warm body of the woman before her as the amethyst eyes fluttered slowly as if in relief. Edelgard could not restrain a fond smile before she cradled the girl back into her office, waiting for Byleth to come back together. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> Since my life was a mess right now, being able to write something warm and cute really cheered me up a bit.  
> Not sure if you could feel the same though. So as always, I'm interesting to know what do you think about this chapter. And Kudos will always be appreciated!  
> And because we were like 11 chapters in, I think I should go back to edit the first few chapters before I move to the next. Hm...but I really wanted to write the next chapter though...hmm. Well, let's say, if I edit the older chapter, the next one won't be done until I finished editing them. Which one I will go for will depend on my mood though. Oops.  
> Anyway, don't forget to take care of yourself. Stay safe! 
> 
> Fun Fact:  
> \- Yes, the little one hates shoes. She never wore one.  
> \- Byleth takes her class at the new Academy very seriously. That's why she needs to have fun whenever she is free to do so.  
> \- Every child likes mimicking others, especially adults and their peers. At the certain age, they love doing a pretend play, thinking they were a firefighter, a teacher, or parents and etc. It's the way they learned how the world works.  
> \- Have you heard about the experiment called Little Albert? If you associated something(like a rat) with a negative factor(like a very loud, noisy sound a child hates), then the child will associate anything that have similar property with a rat to that negative factor. For little Albert, he was made to be afraid of a rat. And that made him afraid of other furry things as well.  
> \- I love cats (that's why I have a cat...), and it pains me greatly to write my very first OC as someone who is afraid of cats...*ugly cry*


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Song track: One - Aimer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you read this chapter, I wanted to say that I have spent last week to revise the first 3 chapters.  
> I basically wrote a new chapter 1, so I encourage you to re-read it. For the chapter 2 and 3, the change were considered as a minority change compared to chapter 1, so you could read them but don't have to.  
> But in the end, you don't actually HAVE to read them. You might get more details about Byleth and a few things, but, to be honest, I just wanted to know your thought on the changes, that's all.  
> Now with that aside, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

It had been several days since the Emperor had witnessed a playground unfolded in the audience chamber. After Edelgard had discussed with Byleth about bringing the little one to the city, they tried their best to manage their work ahead of time and finally had the same day off. On the outside of the palace, the morning warm light seeped through the thick curtain into every room it could reach while the refreshing whistling wind floated in the air. It was one of those many peaceful and beautiful days with a clear blue sky above. An excellent day for the Emperor and the General to visit their citizens in the capital city no less. The day started just like others, saved for the great attempt by Edelgard and Byleth to convince the little one to wear her shoes. Otherwise, they were afraid that the small bare feet could get injured by the endless unidentified scraps on the dull stone pathway. After quite a considerable time and a few sweat, the girl finally, albeit grudgingly, had her shoes on. And then, together, they departed for the capital city of Enbarr. 

As the personal guard unit solemnly advanced through the crowd who happened to receive a rumor of the Emperor’s short trip, the horned crowned snow-white locks in the dignified crimson regalia greeted her citizens along the way. While the Emperor was briefly and generally asking the citizens regarding their well-being, some of the crowd handed her a few gifts and flowers with a broad smile on their faces, prompting the widened lilac eyes full of surprise and bafflement as she did not expect such welcome. All the while, not far from the Emperor, the General was overlooking the cramped group of people trying to reach for the crimson regalia with the little girl pressed closed against her caudal side. From time to time, Edelgard would check on them only to see the amethyst eyes scanned through the surrounding, both with curiosity and wariness behind Byleth. In truth, Edelgard had noticed that ever since they left the palace, the tiny hand never let go of Byleth. It seemed that being in a strange place and meeting too many people at the same time might scare her to quite an extent. As Edelgard was about to think that her decision to bring the girl along might be a mistake, the soothing cobalt eyes made contact with her concerned lilac pair, conveying a silent reassurance for the doubting woman. And so, Edelgard tried to keep the greeting brief as she quietly widened her stride toward the main plaza where, as she hoped, the girl could take a breather from the rowdy group of strangers. And, perhaps, the little girl might be able to meet other children there. 

Not long after, the small escort of the Emperor and the General arrived at the central plaza of the city. It was a vast empty area with a striking fountain and a marble statue of a two-headed eagle in the middle. Whenever there was a festival, the townsfolk would gather here to celebrate with so many stalls selling their goods and musicians showing their talent. Edelgard could remember the days in the distant past where she used to accompany her father along with some of her siblings into the city to celebrate holidays. She remembered running a race with her siblings through the crowded people of Enbarr and the nearby city to get to the performance stage in almost every festival they went to. Even though in the end, she did not win the race most of the time as they ended up dancing along with the townsfolk and forgot about the race, Edelgard remembered herself having so many fond memories and always looking forward to the next and the next festival with her family. Before Edelgard could dive deeper into the nostalgic past, a bubble of laughter brought her back to the plaza in the present. As the lilac eyes took in the area that she had not been for more than a decade, she found a source of cheerful laughter that echoed through the plaza. It seemed that because today was a weekend where there was no school, more children were gathering here to play with their peers. 

When the Emperor and the General were casually approaching the group of children, some of them were surprised at the sight of the approaching figures while some had a shocking face mixed with fear. By the time that the crimson regalia and the peculiar grey attire reached them, the children had stopped their play to observe the newcomer quietly. Even though Edelgard tried to maintain a friendly smile on her facade to lighten her, as she was well aware, intimidating appearance, the children kept staring at her and Byleth in silence. And so, thinking that the children might be perplexed by their arrival and were frozen in place, Edelgard was about to greet them with a smile when she was interrupted by a small, lively voice among them. 

“Wow. Are you the Emperor?” The boy asked with awe evident in his light blue eyes as he stood on his tiptoe in front of Edelgard.

As the lilac eyes looked toward the young boy, she let out a subtle smile and simply replied, “Yes, child. I am.”

With that, the boy’s mouth was left hanging open as his eyes grew wider in wonderment as if he could not believe whom he was witnessing before his eyes. Nonetheless, as the lilac eyes looked up from the vivid blue pair, Edelgard noticed that not every child seemed eager to meet her like this little boy. If anything, other children seemed to be quite afraid of her as she anticipated. As if on cue, Edelgard spotted a little girl with caramel hair warily approaching the boy from behind. 

As the girl made herself smaller behind the taller boy, her hand tugged slightly at the boy’s sleeve and quietly said, “Let’s go, Ike.”

Whipping his short blue hair back, the taller boy named Ike asked brightly, “Why? Come on, Mist. She’s the Emperor! She’s that cool and awesome Emperor!”

With the contagious excitement from Ike, the suspicious light blue eyes of the smaller girl glanced at Edelgard, who silently replied with a subtle smile, before they returned to the eyes with the same color and firmly noted, “But those horns are scary.”

The instant that phase went through the child’s lip, Edelgard felt like a clap of thunder had struck her mind down and halted its flow of thought. The shocking circuit went on for several beats as the crimson gloved hand absently touched the golden crown on her head. All the while, Edelgard could barely notice the muffled snicker beside her, most likely came from none other than the messy blue locks. Edelgard knew that her intimidating presence could and definitely would scare many children away, considering that bandits and soldiers were even fearful of the crimson Emperor both in and out of the battlefield. In fact, every time she had to visit her citizens in a city like this, she always prepared herself and steeled her heart to accidentally make a child cry no matter how much she actually tried not to. However, having the child express their fear in front of her face really put a sharp knife through her heart and stopped her thought to flow as it was supposed to. 

As the Emperor tried to recover herself from the invisible wound caused by a simple phrase, she heard Ike speak up again as he comforted the girl behind him, “She’s not scary, Mist. Don’t you remember what Linde said? She told you the Emperor is a nice person, right? And she really looks nice and cool!” 

Edelgard let out a weak, dry chuckle at the compliments the boy gave her, which could at least healed her fresh wound a tad bit. Nonetheless, she made a mental note to take off her horned crown the next time she visited her citizen. As the girl named Mist seemed to reluctantly let go of her caution and landed her innocent light blue eyes on the crimson regalia in full, Edelgard realized that more children began to gather around them with curiosity evidence on their facades. When Edelgard’s lip curled up into a more genuine smile as she slightly tilted her head to the side in question, the children excitedly began asking her various kinds of questions, slightly startling the Emperor a tad bit with the sudden outburst of words. All the while, Byleth, who sometimes had met some of the children at the Academy, tried her best to cool the rowdy children down. As Edelgard was busy trying to answer the children’s innocent, unexpected questions, she noticed Mist slowly approached the shaggy snow-white locks who had been quietly hiding behind Byleth this whole time until she was pushed aside by the crowded group. Standing alone outside of the circle, the little one tightened her embrace around her stuffy as the amethyst eyes quietly looked toward where Edelgard and Byleth were. However, before Edelgard could pry herself away from the surrounded children to get to the little child, the amethyst eyes shifted away from her and turned to the approaching girl with caramel hair instead.

“Hi, who are you? Why did you come with the Emperor and the Professor?” Mist, who just happened to notice the little girl being pushed away from the Professor, curiously asked with a tilted head, knowing that the girl with the same snow-white hair as the Emperor’s strand was a strange face around here.

However, the only answer the caramel locks received was a blank stare of the amethyst eyes. After a few moments of silence that went along with the distant chatting sounds of other children, confusion started to fill in the light blue eyes. However, instead of turning away, the light blue eyes carefully scanned the shaggy snow-white locks from head to toe, trying to find anything that might prompt a response from the quiet girl. Fortunately, she seemed to find it.

“What about him?” Mist continued asking as she pointed to the armored bear within the snow-white locks’ arms. 

The blank amethyst eyes followed the small index finger to the teddy bear below briefly before they returned to stare at the curious, bright light blue eyes. Afterward, she quietly glanced back and forth between them for a while before the little one tentatively and quietly held up her teddy bear in front of Mist.

With that, the caramel locks curtly nodded before she continued with an innocent smile, “Yes, I’m talking about him. what’s his name?”

The shaggy snow-white locks slightly tilted her head to the side at the question before the amethyst eyes shifted back and forth between the crimson regalia among the group of children and the armored bear in front of her. Thinking that the snow-white locks were telling her to ask the Emperor, Mist nodded again before she grabbed the quiet girl by her hand and led her back toward the Emperor, faintly widening the amethyst eyes with the unexpected action. 

As soon as she was sure that her voice could be heard over others’, Mist asked as she pointed to the shaggy snow-white locks who stared at the caramel locks blankly with a tilted head as if the little one did not understand the girl’s action, “Miss Emperor, do you know what is her and the bear’s name?” 

Seeing the caramel locks came with the little one in hand, Edelgard tried to halt other children’s questions as she approached Mist and replied with a weak smile, “Ah. She does not have one yet, and neither does her bear. Mist.”

Upon knowing that the Emperor could recognize her name, the light blue eyes brightened for a short time before Mist quirked her brow in confusion at the answer she just got. “Why? Everyone has a name.”

Since the innocent question from Mist prompted other children to look at the Emperor with a question in their eyes, Edelgard reluctantly explained with the simplest detail she could manage at that moment, hoping that the children might not overthink about it and let it go, “We do not know what her real name is. And we are waiting for a suitable someone to give her a new name.”

Due to the short explanation that left out too many stories behind it, the caramel locks tilted her head further to the side in confusion as she seemed not to understand what the Emperor exactly meant. However, after the light blue eyes pondered on the Emperor’s answer for a moment, Mist’s face brightened once again with a glimmer in her eyes as if she thought she finally understood what the Emperor meant, or rather, she knew how to solve this problem.

“I know! I’ll give her one. Well, her hair is the same as yours, and a daughter of an emperor is called princess, right? So, she will be ‘Princess’ then!”

Before Edelgard could say anything to correct the girl’s misunderstanding, Mist quickly grabbed the quiet snow-white locks by the scarred hand once again and exclaimed with an enthusiastic, lively tone that could tell a lot about her personality, “Come on, Princess! Let’s play with us! Come on, guys!”

Upon that announcement, the girls ran off together as Ike, along with other children, were broken off with rowdy, lively talks before they followed the girls to the center of the plaza. As much as Edelgard wanted to tell the caramel locks that the little one was not her daughter, she was too late. However, as the lilac eyes silently watched the children run off together, she inwardly thought that this might be the most appropriate way to conceal the little one’s background. Thus, the Emperor let the misunderstanding pass as she decided to overlook the children playing with Byleth standing at her side instead. This was the main reason why they brought the little snow-white locks with them in the first place anyway. As the lilac eyes returned to the vast area before her, she noticed the children gathered together for some time before they scattered out once again, away from a standing boy who was counting down with a loud voice. However, among other children who ran away from the counting boy, there was only one who did not do so. It was the girl with the familiar shaggy snow-white locks. While the amethyst eyes stared at the standing boy curiously, the boy kept counting down as his eyes aimed at the innocent target as if a predator was about to devour its prey even before the hunting time. As he counted to 5...4...3- Suddenly, Mist quickly grabbed the little one’s hand and dragged her to follow suit, away from the counting boy. 

“Don’t just stand there, Princess! Run!” 

A beat after Mist’s warning, the boy counted to zero and launched himself toward the closest target, which happened to be the little one and Mist. As the boy ran closer, Mist yelped loudly and lively as she laughed brightly, “Keep running, Princess! If he catches us, we’ll be frozen forever!” 

Upon hearing so, the amethyst eyes brightened up with a light of the star as if she was excited and just understood what Mist meant. And so, within a blink of an eye, the little one sped up her pace and outran Mist, forcing the caramel hair girl to be a follower instead. And soon, both the little one and Mist were out of the boy’s range, causing the boy to change his target toward other children. A few yelps and faint groans that mixed well with the innocent laughter echoed around the plaza as the boy caught a few of his friends and made them frozen in place. However, some of them could run again as other children touched them. And the one who thawed the icy friends the most happened to be the shaggy snow-white locks as she soared through the wind with a bright gleam in her amethyst eyes, extending the bubble of laughter to resonate within the plaza. All the while, both Edelgard and Byleth overlooked the lively play and the burst of pure energy with adoration as they decided to give their feet a rest at the long bench located in the corner of the plaza, allowing children to own the plaza as they pleased. After they watched them for quite a while, suddenly, Byleth blurted out with surprise evident in her tone.

“Wait. We didn’t name her yet?”

The sudden question made Edelgard’s brows knitted together before the lilac eyes shifted toward the surprised facade of her lover with disbelief. “That just occurred to you now? Really?” 

At first, Edelgard thought that the woman had never brought this matter up because Byleth might be concerned with the same reason, just like Edelgard’s. But, apparently, she did not. Perhaps, because Byleth only called the girl as ‘kid’ since the beginning, she did not notice that they had not named the girl yet, nor she noticed that Edelgard did not plan to name her at all. While Edelgard was quite surprised by Byleth’s reaction to the realization, she could not blame her. She never really detailed the woman about her thoughts and her silent concerns regarding the girl’s name, after all.

And so, seeing that she should explain to her lover properly, Edelgard lightly sighed before she elaborated, “I did not, nor did I plan to give her a name because the little one will have it when someone adopts her.”

With that, the surprise on Byelth’s face subsided and was replaced with a pensive expression for a while before she quirked her eyebrow and nonchalantly hummed. “I thought you didn’t name her because you might be afraid to get too close to her.”

Edelgard jolted up a little at Byleth’s comments before she quickly recovered to disguise her reflex as the wavering lilac eyes suddenly found the stone floor interesting. “It was the other way around, actually. If the little one gets too close to us, there might be a complication when she gets adopted into a new family.”

Once again, it seemed that the piercing cobalt eyes could see through her disguise. While it was never her intention to conceal anything from Byleth, the one and only person whom she trusted with everything, sometimes, Edelgard found that it was quite difficult for her to express her thoughts and feelings freely. More often than not, she even found herself unknowingly built a wall between her and her trusted friends even though she knew that none of them and Byleth would ever leave her side. After all, they had repeatedly shown their strong will of support for her regardless of circumstances. And this feeling of guilt and shame was, perhaps, why Edelgard could not directly look into the cobalt eyes at this moment. The same pair that, as Edelgard could see with the corner of her eyes, was observing her with a calm, pensive look. Byleth quietly stared at Edelgard for a while before her lip was about to crack open. However, before Byleth could say anything further, a loud splash of the water stole both of their attention back to the middle of the plaza. Looking toward the source of the sound, Edelgard saw a boy who just emerged from the clear water in the fountain. As the scene seemed to draw the attention of everyone nearby, other children stopped what they were doing and looked at the soaked boy with slightly widened eyes. The still silence went on for a while until the soaked boy puffed his cheek out and let out a hearty laugh that, within a beat after, triggered a burst of laughter from the other children.

As Edelgard quietly observed the joy wash over the plaza for a few moments, suddenly, the lilac eyes spotted the shaggy snow-white locks, who stood nearby the fountain, slowly curled up her lip before a blissful, ethereal song was released from her. At that moment, Edelgard felt like the time had stopped as everything seemed to slip further and further away from her mind. The only thing that was in the sparkling lilac eyes was a small, pure smile that shone brightly to rival the sun and a faint chuckle that sounded like a ringing bell in peaceful days. Even when the children resumed their plays, the song never left Edelgard’s mind. She was not sure how long had passed since her mind was full of the small smile that radiated a warm array of the sun, but, eventually, the lilac eyes were prompted to reluctantly pry away from the mesmerizing sight by a light squeeze at her gloved hand. At the corner of her eyes, Edelgard noticed the wavering cobalt eyes gazed in the same direction with her lip slightly hung open. Without saying anything, Edelgard gently held the calloused hand in hers and returned a gentle squeeze. They did not utter anything for a long time after that and only watched the children play in silence. At that moment in time, Edelgard inwardly vowed to no one but herself that she would protect this innocent smile for as long as she was allowed to. 

They stayed like that until the sun started to hang low on the horizon and turned the sky into a bright orange blanket. When the warm breeze was replaced by a slightly cold whistling wind of the upcoming dull sky, the family started to call back their children for the nice, warm dinner, and the children began to scatter their way back to their home sweet home. After making sure that every child had gone home safely, it was time for the Emperor and the General to return as well. Unlike last time, the shaggy snow-white locks cheerfully jogged back to Edelgard and Byleth with a small smile adorned her face, prompting both adults’ lips to curl up into a subtle smile of their own. As they started their little journey back to the palace, the shaggy snow-white locks walked with a spring in her steps in between Edelgard and Byleth and a faint chuckle that chanted through their journey. All the while, her small hands curled tightly around the crimson gloved hand in one and the calloused armored hand in another, leaving Byleth with great honor to take care of her favorite teddy bear. During all those times, the innocent smile on the little one’s face had captured the lilac eyes ever since it first revealed itself in the plaza. And so, it took quite a considerable time before Edelgard could notice the missing shoes and the bare feet of the smiling girl. 

“Where are your shoes, little one? You cannot walk bare feet like that, or something will hurt you. Come here,” Edelgard asked with a tint of worry in her tone before she lowered herself and was about to scoop the child up and away from the stern and cold stone pathway. 

As soon as Edelgard bent herself to slip her hand underneath the girl’s underarm, the smiling child quickly brought the woman into a tight embrace, slightly startled the older snow-white locks for a beat. Edelgard quickly recovered before a warm smile appeared on her pale face and seemed to be contagious to Byleth, who was quietly watching beside her. And so, the lovers walked hand in hand with the giggling child in one’s arms and a teddy bear in another one’s arm, going down the stone pathway to get back to their soft, lovely bed. A peaceful silence accompanied them for a few moments before the angelic chuckle started to evaporate into the cooling air and was replaced with a big yawn and drowsy eyes.

The sight urged a faint chuckle from Edelgard before she softly mumbled into the tiny ears as the small figure buried herself deeper into the warm cradle, “Next time, I’ll bring you to a place where you can safely run around with your bare feet, little angel.” 

Edelgard paused and hesitated for a beat before she finally gave in and lightly whispered with a voice as if she was talking to herself, “I promise.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later that night, after they got back to their bedchamber, the little child went to bed quite earlier than usual as she slept deep and tight within Edelgard’s arm. It was as if the girl had already spent all of her energy in running and playing with other children, leaving her with nothing but a restful, undisturbed night. Byleth could see that the sight of the peaceful face in her lover’s arms prompted a warm smile on Edelgard’s face every time she looked down. It was a kind of face that, as Byleth noticed, Edelgard would only do when she looked at the little girl. While it was similar to the face she always made when the dazzling lilac eyes looked into her cobalt pair, Byleth could distinguish a slightly different atmosphere emitted from those lilac eyes. Even though she could not put them into words, Byleth did not find herself to care that much. As long as Edelgard was happy, then that was enough.

A few more moments into the night when it was time for them to rest and let the little girl lay restfully on her bed, the cobalt eyes spotted the conflicted lilac pair as her arms seemed reluctant to unwrap the small figure. Although Edelgard said it herself that she should let the girl sleep comfortably on her bed rather than in her arms, Byleth could still see the hesitation flashed in her lilac eyes. And so, Byleth decided to poke her lover’s hesitation a tad bit to urge the woman to do what she actually wished to. Something that Byleth had a slim idea of what it was. In the end, the snow-white locks continued laying on their grand bed with Byleth close against her back as she rested her chin on Edelgard’s shoulder. All the while, the pair of cobalt quietly observed the small figure in her lover’s arms as the snow-white hair woman decided not to bring the sleeping girl to her own bed just yet. 

A long silence passed under the cool breeze and the silver moonlight until Byleth spoke up with her cheek still rubbing against the pale skin, “El, can we name her?” 

Without missing a beat, Edelgard simply responded without looking at the messy blue locks, “The little one?”

After Byleth answered with a slight nod of her head against the pale cheek, Edelgard pried away from the warm skin enough to look at the slightly disappointed face of her lover. While Byleth was already yearning for the warmth of her cheek, she heard Edelgard state with a firm voice and a subtle frown, “My love. I already told you that-”

“Naming will make the kid feel closer to us. And that can be an issue when she has to move to her new family,” Byleth quietly interrupted the snow-white locks with a stoic face, knowing what Edelgard was thinking. 

Edelgard slowly closed her lip that was left hanging open mid-sentence as she slightly nodded. Knowing that her lover was aware of the underlying reason for naming, Edelgard loosened her frown and relaxed her tensed shoulder as the lilac eyes patiently waited for Byleth to speak her mind. Of course, Byleth knew how deliberate Edelgard always was when the matter related to forming a bond and trust with others. Considering what Edelgard had experienced in the past, Byleth was sure that the snow-white hair woman chose not to risk establishing the bond that might be, and most certainly would be, broken one day, so the little girl would not be hurt. However, while Byleth understood Edelgard’s fear and intention to protect the girl, she sensed that having a name was something that might help the little child discover who she really was. Just like how her name had kept her as ‘Byleth.’ Just like during the foggy past of her childhood when she had always silently wondered if she really existed. The only thing that was like evidence of her presence was her name, Byleth. A name that her father gifted her, claiming that her deceased mother was the one who came up with it. And even when he, too, was gone, the livelong, childish friend in her mind was gone, and her hair turned bright mint, ‘Byleth’ was the only thing that kept her as her true self and not a reborn Goddess or an empty vessel that some had said. Thus, if giving the little one a name could shed light on her own path, then it was worth trying. 

And so, after silently concluding her thought, Byleth furrowed her brows slightly as she continued her humble request, “But can’t we name her a nickname? Like a temporary name? We don’t know when someone will adopt her, right?” 

With that, Edelgard knitted her brows together as she went quiet. Instead of the immediate rejection she expected, Byleth could notice a conflict within the pensive lilac eyes as the woman kept silent as though she was considering her request. It seemed that Edelgard, deep down, might actually want to name the little one too. Besides, Byleth supposed that the girl who asked about the little one’s name in the plaza might have urged Edelgard to think twice about her resistance to naming. 

Thus, hoping to subside the hesitation in the lilac eyes, Byleth decided to tempt Edelgard to do what she actually wanted by nudging a soft cheek of the sleeping girl in the other woman's arms and said with a flat tone, “I know. I’ll name you ‘Kid.’ ” 

Within a second, Edelgard’s brows deepened their frown as her lip snapped open. “My love. If you’re going to name her that, I think the better name for her would be ‘Angel.’ ”

Upon hearing such a quick retort, which was pretty unusual for the Emperor, Byleth’s lip formed into a subtle smirk as the cobalt eyes flashed with a teasing light toward the slightly widen lilac pair as if the snow-white hair woman was quite surprised by her own words. Byleth silently gave herself a pat on the back, considering that she just caught, yet another big fish.

And so, as a tint of rosy pick crept onto the pale skin, Edelgard quickly excused with a small huff, “What? It is definitely better than your ‘Kid.’ ”

Byleth narrowed her eyes in absolute disbelief as her smirk widened before she turned back to continue nudging the small child’s cheek. “Alright. You will be ‘Kiddo’ then.”

After recovering enough from her own pitfall that she unknowingly created, Edelgard murmured with a sarcastic tone at Byleth’s idea of naming as she turned the little child, who was groaning faintly from the childish disturbance, away from Byleth’s teasing, “Great. That’s not as bad as ‘Kid,’ Byleth.”

Upon hearing so, Byleth turned to tentatively stare at the bashful lilac eyes with a little quirked brow before she silently asked the stubborn snow-white locks in silence if she had something to say or not. They stared each other down for quite some time as their silence, along with Eelgard’s gentle cradle, lulled the little girl to sleep soundly once again. 

Eventually, as the lilac eyes hid behind their curtain, Edelgard let out a long sigh before she admitted her defeat, “Fine. We’ll name her something that is not ‘Kid,’ ‘Kiddo,’…or ‘Angel.’ ”

Despite the voice that trailed off quite a bit at the end, Byleth beamed up when she heard that her lover finally agreed and allowed her and herself to name the little child. And so, with great enthusiasm, the cobalt eyes shifted toward the sleeping girl as her mind began its search for the child’s name. Even though a few moments had passed, the pensive cobalt eyes never left the little one and her steady rising and falling chest, thinking that a suitable name might just pop up in her mind the more she stared at the child. While the little child wiggled herself to press deeper against Edelgard, the pensive cobalt eyes narrowed with utmost focus.

Eventually, an idea came into Byleth’s mind as the messy blue locks turned to ask the woman beside her, “El. How about we name her with your siblings’ name?”

Upon hearing so, the lilac eyes dimmed their light and refused to meet the curious cobalt eyes before the snow-white locks replied with a sorrowful tone, “...I would rather not, my love.”

The unexpected mournful tone from Edelgard filled the cobalt eyes with worry in that instant before Byleth reached her hand to cover the slightly cold scarred hand in hers. After giving Edelgard a gentle squeeze, the messy blue locks tilted her head slightly to the side, silently and patiently asking why.

A beat later, the melancholic lilac eyes returned to the concerned cobalt pair before Edelgard continued, “A name is something that defines the person. It is something that tells who you are. Calling someone with their names is like acknowledging their existence and accepting who they are, just like how grateful and happy I was when you first called me El. So, if we are going to name this little one, I would rather name her something that defines her as herself, and not my sibling.” She paused for a beat before Edelgard spoke up with a lightened tone, “And might I add that she is not our child? Naming her with my siblings’ name might be quite inappropriate.”

The cobalt eyes flashed a realization of the inappropriateness in naming the random child with the Emperor’s siblings’ names when the words of explanation reached Byleth’s ears. At the same time, it prompted Byleth to recall how much her heart was overwhelmed with a warm sensation every time Edelgard called her by her name. Along with that warmth, she also sensed another feeling. The feeling that made her realize there was another person beside herself that acknowledged who she really was. It was a feeling that kept Byleth moving forward and believing in herself. And she never wanted to lose it. Regardless, Edelgard’s words also made her realize that having another person called your name was as fulfilling and soothing, if not even more, as keeping your own name closed. More than anything, it seemed that Edelgard thought the same as her.

Thus, the messy blue locks inclined her head as she faintly responded, “Okay.”

Edelgard’s lip curled up into a weak smile that still mixed with bitterness from the mention of her siblings. Nonetheless, she reassured Byleth with a soft tone and a gentle squeeze where their hands joined, “Let’s think about another name for her. I’m sure we can find a name that suits her better.”

With that, a subtle, relieved smile appeared on Byleth’s facade before both the cobalt and lilac eyes returned to the little child within Edelgard’s arms. They kept their eyes on the child as their minds kept spinning and turning to find the right name for the girl. While it was true that Byleth had suggested giving the girl a temporary name, she could not help but try her best to think of the best name for her. And Byleth was so sure that Edelgard would agree with her anyway. The silence continued for a long while as none of them could come up with any ideas until the sleeping child slowly stretched out her small limbs for a moment before curling back into a ball within Edelgard’s cradle. And so, thinking that they could never come up with a name as long as they still insisted on having one right now when it was time to sleep, Byleth and Edelgard agreed that they should think about this later. As Byleth suggested, each of them would come up with their own list of names that they thought was good for the little one, and then they would choose the only one name together. However, that was a matter of the unknown future. For now, it was time for bed. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And as they had agreed, a few days later, both Byleth and Edelgard made sure to finish their work and retired early for the day. Although by early, it meant that the moon had just arrived in the deep, violent sky instead of the starry dark night. In their bedchamber, while the little child was playing with her armored bear in between Byleth’s crossed leg on the bed, Edelgard, who just changed her attire into her nightgown, slowly sank herself on the soft mattress. As the older snow-white locks settled herself beside Byleth, Edelgard handed her a folded parchment that contained a long list of names on it.

“Here is what I came up with. I could not decide which one is the best, so I listed everything I could think of,” Edelgard confessed with a bashful face as the lilac eyes refused to meet Byleth.

After retrieving and unwrapping the parchment in hand, the cobalt eyes skimmed through the elegant cursive handwriting that was arranged into many kinds of names from ‘Angela’ to ‘Blythe,’ ‘Edith,’ ‘Elizabeth,’ ‘Tinia,’ and so many more names Byleth had barely heard of. Seeing how long the list was, Byleth was inwardly concerned if they would be able to conclude the child’s name today. Luckily though, her list pretty much consisted of only 10 names, which was significantly fewer than Edelgard’s. That meant they could spend the majority of their time looking through Edelgard’s list instead of hers. After skimming through everything, the messy blue locks gave the parchment to the curious child before she handed her smaller paper to Edelgard. After the anticipated lilac eyes scanned through the smaller list of the thin, simple handwriting for a few beats, the brown eyebrow quirked up in suspicion as her lip cracked open.

“My love, are these really names you came up with?”

Seeing that the other woman could notice it right away, Byleth sheepishly confessed, “No. I could only think of one. Other names are some of the Strike Force’s ideas. Is it that obvious?”

The lilac eyes shifted to the nervous cobalt pair that refused to meet her before Edelgard brightly giggled as she simply replied with an exaggerated, sarcastic tone, “ Well, it is quite difficult to say for sure that ‘Crestie,’ ‘EdieJr.,’ and ‘Alexandra Elizabeth Kensington’ are your idea.”

While Byleth was awkwardly rubbing her nape, Edelgard continued with a more curious mixed with a soothing tone, “So, which one that you come up with? I’d love to know, Byleth.”

As the messy blue locks could never withstand the genuine lilac eyes of her lover, Byleth tentatively pointed her finger to the name at the top of the list that read, ‘Elos.’ After reading the name that her lover actually thought up, the lilac eyes were filled with wonderment as Edelgard continued asking curiously, “That is an interesting name. How did you come up with it?”

Despite the faint bafflement in the cobalt eyes as she did not believe the snow-white locks’ words, Byleth flatly explained, “I was doing research in the library, and I came across a book that recorded the tradition and mythology of some foreign countries. It said there is one Goddess that represents the dawn. And her name is ‘Eos.’ I think it sounds neat, so I wrote it down on the paper to get back at it later. But then, when I was about to look for other books, I accidentally crossed a long line in between E and O.”

As the messy blue locks silently stared at the lilac eyes, indicating that she already finished her retelling, Edelgard looked back at Byleth with disbelief before she asked, “And that was why you decided to choose this name?”

However, Byleth slightly shook her head before she corrected Edelgard’s understanding, “No. The line actually reminded me of your nickname, El. And that made me think that I should include your nickname in the kid’s name.” 

The second Edelgard heard the real reason behind Byleth’s chosen name, conflicted thought that mixed with several silent questions appeared in the lilac eyes. Knowing why her beloved reacted so as Byleth remembered their conversation regarding naming a few days ago, the messy blue locks slightly nodded and elaborated her choice with a calm tone, “I know. But your nickname is only a part of her name. Her identity. I just wanted the kid to inherit some part of you. A part of an endless resolve and ambition that never falter to any obstacle or past memories. A path that is always moving forward for a greater world and better self.” 

As Byleth words dissolved into Edelgard, the lilac eyes cleared of questions and conflict as the tranquility that hinted with adoration claimed its place in them instead. While it was true that she could only think of one name, she did her best in finding one. Since Byleth believed that every name had its good wish, just like how every person had their good side, she wanted to give the little child the best wish she could offer. However, Byleth was not good with words, never was, and never would be. And she assumed that this was the main reason why she could only come up with one name. Even so, she always found that a word could never convey everything she felt or meant. A single word could not mean everything, just like how a person could not be everything but an incomplete self. That was why everyone needed to have someone they could rely on and some friends they could talk to, just like how a word needed to be with other words to create a meaningful sentence. And that was why Byleth thought that the best wish she could grant for the little one was the part of her lover, the strongest person Byleth had known. And she hoped that her wish would come true and support the little one’s strength even when they were apart. 

Byleth’s lip curled up into a subtle smile as her trail of thoughts continued, albeit with her voice out loud, “Besides, I can call both of you as ‘El’ at the same time.” 

Upon hearing so, the adoration in the lilac eyes was all gone the instant she heard Byleth’s shooting-two-birds-with-one-arrow strategy, replacing, instead, with bafflement and disbelief. The widened lilac eyes silently stared at the bright cobalt pair for some time as if she were both being perplexed and contemplating something in her mind all at once. Eventually, Edelgard sighed helplessly into the cold breeze and turned to cradle up the little child who was playing with her bear and pretending that the bear was writing on the parchment Byleth gave her. 

When the amethyst eyes were shifted to look directly at the soft lilac pair, Edelgard announced with a warm smile, “Alright. Little one. From now on, you will be Elos. Until you get adopted, that is.”

While the amethyst eyes flashed a blink at the lilac pair in silence, Byleth blurted out with a slightly confused facade, “Wait. Shouldn’t we choose one name from your list and compare them as we planned?”

The lilac eyes glanced back to her beloved before Edelgard shook her head and confirmed her choice, “It’s alright. For my list, I simply could not decide which one was the best. But I think ‘Elos’ is a perfect name, considering how much you put your thought into it. Besides, I like it too.”

Upon hearing that Edelgard liked the name she came up with and chose it, the cobalt eyes brightened as Byleth could not help but to lovingly and joyfully ruffle the shaggy snow-white locks in her lover’s arm and greeted the girl with a bright smile, “Nice to meet you again, Elos.”

The amethyst eyes only stared at the vivid cobalt eyes in silence as if she still did not understand what the two adults were talking about. Not to mention if she understood that she was just given a name by Byleth and Edelgard or not. Nonetheless, the sight of the innocent, confused child drew a few chuckles from the two adults. It might take time before the girl knew that ‘Elos’ was her name, but Byleth and Edelgard were sure that the day would come in the near future. And so, as they decided to let things flow as it should be, they nonchalantly laid on the mattress and watched Elos quietly play with her stuffy in silence. It was not until the amethyst eyes seemed to get drowsy that Byleth and Edelgard began their night routine and lulled the girl to sleep before they too, followed her into the realm of dream.

Not long after the child was bestowed with her name, Byleth announced the name of the quiet little girl to all of the Strike Force to know, prompting a surprised mixed with a satisfied face from everyone along with a few teasing for the Emperor, especially from the songstress. And a few weeks later, Byleth and Edelgard were at ease after they witnessed the gleam in the amethyst eyes flashed whenever they called the little child, Elos. Ever since then, the shaggy snow-white locks always seemed to walk and even run with a bit of spring under her bare feet, trailing behind the crimson regalia and the odd grey attire everywhere they went. Strangely enough, around the same time, there was a rumor started circulating among the servants, the guards, and the citizens of Enbarr, saying that a small little white fairy had been following the Emperor and the General everywhere they went. All the while, the little fairy poured her bright magic dust onto the cold face of the almighty Emperor and the stoic mask of the General, crafting a warm, bright smile on them and everyone as she followed the couple. No one knew for sure where this little white girl came from, a child of the Emperor, perhaps? Or a child of another noble? Regardless, as long as they could see a kind, relaxed facade on their Emperor and General, they could not see why they should care to know. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! Our girl's name is Elos!  
> 12 chapters later and the girl is just given her name...oops.  
> Anyway, thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy it.  
> And I'm interested to know what you think about this chapter. I know some of you might be wondering about the girl's name since the beginning, so here you are.  
> I also was excited to reveal her name ever since I wrote the first chapter. Now that it's out in the open, I actually felt a bit embarrassed for my sense of naming. But at the same time, I felt relieved.  
> Alright, I should stop rambling now. Again, thank you for reading. I'll see you again next chapter.  
> Until then, stay safe and take care!
> 
> Fun Fact:  
> \- Children’s plays, despite having a similar theme across culture and geography, tend to have slightly different rules based on the community they are in. With that, plus the level of creativity of children, there could have been more than a million variety of plays that children can come up and have fun with.  
> \- Avoid giving an explanation that was too short for children to understand, otherwise they will misunderstand them. And not understanding is better than misunderstanding because misunderstanding might be more difficult to change.  
> \- Children will shine their potential the most when they were with their peers. They also learned better if they played with another children around their ages. And what they say or do, sometimes, can even amaze an adult like us.  
> \- Edelgard's real name is Edelgard von-girl-loves-torturing-herself-with-repressed-feeling Hresvelg.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Song track: Arrival of the Birds - The Cinematic Orchestra

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone with your kind comments last chapter.  
> I'm so glad everyone thinks Elos is a good name for the little girl. ;w;
> 
> Now, onto this chapter. I will admit that this one is also quite challenging for me to write solely because I wanted to really copy and paste the picture in my mind into this chapter so badly.  
> Regardless, I really hope I did it well this time.  
> So, I hope you enjoy this chapter! The fluff is at its peak!
> 
> A small vocaburaly lesson:  
> 'ที่รัก' is read as 'Tee-ruck.' It literally means ‘the place where my love lies’ in my language. This is quite a common word a couples or spouse use to address each other.  
> so 'สุดที่รัก' is read as 'Sut-tee-ruck.' It means similarly to 'the one I love the most' in English.

The fresh wind floated along with the moist air that mixed with the scent of the damp grass after the showering rain in the morning. The chirping sound that blended well with a faint bobbling of the remaining droplet of rain resonated through the serene garden. Edelgard was relishing herself in the floral scent of the lukewarm tea in her gloved hands, thinking it was such a nice contrast to the cooling breeze in the moist air that leisurely drifted through her snow-white strands. As the reposeful lilac eyes gazed into the ripples on the surface with a deep bark color caused by her movement, her ears could pick up a dreamy hum of the brunette locks who sat across her with a smile. All the while, the fond emerald eyes gazed toward the radiant tan skin not far from the table they were seated. The lilac eyes followed her friend’s sight to see Petra sitting comfortably on the soft grass while demonstrating something in front of the bright, curious amethyst eyes which quietly observed the firm hands elegantly danced around the bouquet of shining flowers with her teddy bear closed to her chest. The lilac eyes watched the little shaggy snow-white locks in silence as the little girl occasionally shifted her big eyes along with Petra’s movement. It had been about almost three moons ever since Edelgard and Byleth had fostered Elos, a little girl who followed them close everywhere they went. And admittedly, at this point in time, Edelgard found herself stop constantly questioning and worrying about the little child’s closeness to her, Byleth, or the members of the Strike Force. It could be said that the Emperor had just simply followed along with the flow that the child had sent her way. After all, Edelgard had concluded that as long as Elos could smile like an innocent child she actually was, it was futile to go against the flow of nature. That said, deep down, Edelgard was still concerned about the adoption nonetheless. While Edelgard lost in her thoughts, a harmonious tone of the songstress that mixed with her usual teasing remark reached her.

“So, Edie. Question: are you still thinking about letting other people adopt this sweetheart rather than adopting her yourself?”

Returning her gaze to the brunette locks that adorned with a faint mischievous smirk, Edelgard quirked her brow slightly before she responded, “That matter should never be a question in the first place, Dorothea.”

Upon hearing such a bland response from the woman before her, Dorothea quickly dropped the corner of her rosy lip into an exaggerated frown as she maintained her teasing tone, albeit with a mix of the pretended disappointed tone, “Come on, Edie. Admit it. You really like this little sweetheart. Wouldn’t you consider being her mommy, Your Majesty?”

Edelgard could not help but furrow her brows slightly as she gently placed down her cup of tea onto its saucer before she replied with a deep and slow tone with a tint of warning and helplessness as if she was getting tired to make the songstress let go of this matter. “Dorothea…” 

Instead of moving on to other matters like she usually did, Dorothea did not drop her act and continued fluttering her exaggerated saddened emerald eyes toward the narrowed lilac eyes. Ever since the songstress heard the news of the little girl’s name, she somehow decided that the little Elos was a quality ingredient for teasing the Emperor. And so, Edelgard had to deal with Dorothea’s bantering remark in regards to the little girl’s fosterage every time she met the songstress. While she could see a faint of truth in her teasing, Edelgard never wanted to dive too deep in them. Otherwise, she was, admittedly, quite afraid that the songstress would never let her go as easily as she usually did. However, there was a time when Edelgard inwardly thought that she really needed some time to sit and seriously discuss with her best friend. And right now might be an appropriate time to finally do so. 

Thus, Edelgard deeply sighed as she tried to regain her composure before the Emperor calmly explained with a collected tone, “After everything she had been through, Elos deserves a good and warm family who can provide the support she needs. As for Byleth and myself, we do not have such qualities. We still have a secret, most certainly dangerous war and a vital duty to reform the whole nation. I highly doubt that we can provide considerable time for Elos’s needs, Dorothea. Besides, being a mother is not an easy task. There are lots of devotion and responsibilities to commit. And I definitely do not have the required experience to take care of a child.”

In fact, saying that she simply did not have an experience seemed to be quite an understatement, even. In truth, Edelgard did not know how to raise a child at all since the memories of hers could not retain her peaceful childhood when she spent with her mother for one bit. While she could remember a fond smile directed at her among the foggy light, other memories with her mother were just a shattered glass. Retrieving them was proved to be an impossible task. Not to mention that she was the cause for the little child’s nightmares in the first place. And so, no matter how Edelgard looked at this matter, she did not deserve to be her mother. 

While Edelgard was deep in thoughts, she heard Dorothea’s harmonious, therapeutic tone that was heavy in caring emerged from the seat across her. “Come now, Edie. Who said you have to raise her alone with Byleth? Haven’t you heard about the saying goes? It takes a whole village to raise a child. there’s no such thing as a perfect mother.”

When Dorothea suddenly hesitated in her words, the lilac eyes looked up from the cup of tea on the table to the dimmed emerald eyes as if the songstress was lost in her own past. I took a beat later before Dorothea continued with a sentimental tone, “I was also an orphan before Manuela took me in, Edie. She was pretty far from the best guardian, but I am eternally grateful for her decision to raise me as I am now. The bond between us was more than a mother and a child, or between a friend, or a teacher and a student. That’s why I know when I see one, Edie. I can see the looks between the three of you as clear as day.” 

The brunette locks paused once again as the emerald eyes that hinted with wishful light gazed into the unmoved lilac pair. A few moments of silence had passed, but before the lilac eyes could lose all of their strength and weaver, Dorothea’s voice regained its brightness as she said, “Besides, you even named her.”

The second her ear could pick up those last words, the slightly brown brows mingled together as Edelgard almost immediately corrected the brunette locks’ words, trying to end the conversation in the process, “It was Byleth’s request, not me. And to be clear, Dorothea, because I want all the best for Elos, that is why I believe having a suitable family to take care of her instead of me and us is the best and definitely the safest path for her.” 

After Edelgard finished her firm clarification with a sip of tea, Dorothea eventually let out a defeated sigh as she mumbled with a faint groan and a heavy head, hanging quite dangerously low over her cup of tea, “You are the most stubborn person I’ve ever known, Edie.”

Edelgard ignored the condemnation as she continued with a calm tone, “You do not need to be worried, Dorothea. I already asked Hubert to make sure that every candidate will have a detailed background checking before we can deliberately choose the most suitable household for her.” 

“That’s not-” 

Edelgard quirked her brow in question as she saw the brunette locks snapped up to blurt out her protest, a protest that was suddenly interrupted by a sweet smile and the soft emerald eyes that directed toward space beside Edelgard. Such a sudden change in her best friend’s expression prompted Edelgard to deepen her furrowed brows the longer the flickering emerald eyes stared at something in silence. Before she could fathom the situation, suddenly, as if that ‘something’ heard her silent question, a tiny, sweet, and vivid voice that hinted slightly with hesitation while sounding like the jingling bell reached her ears. And in that second, Edelgard felt like she was stuck between time and space.

“Eeee” 

With her mind still unable to follow the flow of time, Edelgard felt like everything happened in a slow-motion. Even her movement seemed to be slower. She felt like she was temporarily not an owner of her body as she found her head slowly turning to the source of the peculiar, heaven sound on its own. 

“E-Eeee-lu” 

The melodious sound of the resounding bell continued singing to her from her flank with a tint of pureness, prompting the lilac eyes, which still could not decide how to react, widened the closer her periphery was to the source. 

“Elu”

The innocent sound echoed through the tranquil garden and seeped into Edelgard’s mind with more confidence and liveliness as the lilac eyes caught a glimpse of the messy and shaggy snow-white locks at the corner of her eyes.

“El” 

By the time that the vivid sound had formed into a single, coherent word, the widened lilac eyes had settled at the little girl who tentatively held onto a lovely flower crown, standing beside her seat as the amethyst eyes that was full of anticipation and flickering lights innocently looked up at Edelgard. It was at that moment when Edelgard felt like everything, even her body and her mind, frozen still.

“W-what did you...say?”

The instant that Edelgard responded to the tiny sound, no matter how quiet her response was nor how much she stammered, the amethyst eyes beamed up with a glow that could rival the bright moon in the night and the blazing sun in the day. More than anything, the corner of her tiny lip pulled up into the most radiant smile Edelgard had ever seen from the little child, stealing Edelgard’s breath for a brief moment.

“El!” 

At that moment, a sudden wave of warmth and feelings flooded through Edelgard with an overwhelming force that could melt everything in its path. Among them, there were some emotions that she seemed to be familiar with, feelings that were trying to break out from her core no less. Even so, she felt like her mind either refused to describe them, or she still could not follow the situation that was unfolded before her just yet. Suddenly, Edelgard felt like the corner of her eyes was flaring up with a strange burning sensation. 

Perhaps, she was disappointed in herself for letting herself attach to the child too much? 

Or perhaps, it was because she was so thrilled and proud that Elos had finally learned to speak? Trust them enough to speak? 

Or perhaps it was because she was too overwhelmed by the sweet smile and the tiny, innocent voice? 

Or perhaps it was simply because of the fact that the little girl chose her name as her first word. 

Regardless, the logical thoughts had come and gone in a flash. In fact, Edelgard felt like her mind was not in the right state for thinking about the reason underlying her feelings at all. After all, it was currently being occupied by the sparkling amethyst eyes and the shining, innocent smile. A sight she never wanted to let go. Edelgard was not sure how long it had passed and how long she had been in silence in front of the shaggy snow-white locks. However, the more she looked at her, Edelgard found herself feeling tempted to tightly and gently blanket Elos with her frame and protect this little angel of hers forever.

_No. No, I should not, could not. She’s not mine. No, she’s-_

Before Edelgard could resolve her silent conflict that emerged in her mind, she felt a light tug at her arm. After returning her focus to the beaming girl in front of her, Elos tugged the woman’s arm again as she slightly bounced up and down on her tiptoes and lifted a flower crown up high, beckoning Edelgard to lower her head down. Thus, despite the unfinished realm of thought and the mind that was still stunned from the sight before her, Edelgard lightly inclined her crowned head down as the little girl wished. Seeing that the woman had done what she silently asked, Elos then reached her hands up high to gently and awkwardly place her flower crown on the snow-white locks with a satisfied chuckle. While the girl stepped back a tad bit to admire her handicraft in between the golden horn with starry eyes, the only thing Edelgard could do was staring at the little snow-white locks with dazzling eyes that filled with the most adoration she did not know she could share with anyone else besides her dear lover. Thus, it took quite considerable moments before Edelgard could find her voice again, and it happened to come back in the form of a soft whisper. 

“Thank you...” 

Upon hearing so, Elos beamed up again, as if her face could even be brighter than it already was, before the radiant, keen amethyst eyes shifted back toward Petra, who was approaching them with a smile adorned her facade while she explained, “This is something we make back in my country. I think it is called a flower crown in Fodlan’s language? We make it to represent the connection between you and your loved one, to show your appreciation toward the receiver. And those could be anyone from a family member to your partner.”

After finishing her explanation, the future Queen of Brigid turned toward the songstress as she retrieved her flower crown from behind her. “Here’s for you, Dorothea. My สุดที่รัก. The one and only love of my life.”

The songstress, who had been observing the interaction between the Emperor and the little child with adoration in silence, jolted up on her seat a tad bit before the surprised emerald eyes were replaced quickly with a passionate light as she let her beloved settle a flower crown on her brunette locks. “That’s lovely, love. Thank you. I love it.”

The fond smile on Dorothea’s face prompted Petra’s lip to pull up into a tender smile of her own before the future Queen of Brigid turned back to the shaggy snow-white locks who curiously watched them beside Edelgard in silence and said, “See? I told you Dorothea would like it. And Edelgard, too, right?”

With that, Elos whipped her head back toward Edelgard once again as the amethyst eyes stared at her with question and anticipation evident in them as if the girl was silently asking and waiting for something. And so, Edelgard replied with a fond smile and a genuine, adored tone, “Your flower crown is gorgeous, and I really like it. Thank you, my little angel.” 

_I will treasure this crown forever, even if it meant to wilt away from time, my angel._

As Edelgard continued her thought in silence, Elos’s face brightened up once again after getting the woman’s words of approval. The little girl chuckled mirthfully with an enchanted voice of hers before she trotted toward Petra and grabbed the dangling fabric of the exotic attire, leading the future Queen of Brigid back toward where they were sitting before. While Edelgard quietly watched Elos continue making another flower crown that she previously had left unfinished with Petra’s help, she absently stroked the flower crown on her head until she noticed a mischievous gaze across the table. 

“...What is it?” Edelgard grumbled a deep, ominous voice while the lilac eyes drifted toward her best friend whose face was adorned with a broad smirk and flashing emerald eyes.

Realizing that Edelgard had already spotted her, Dorothea puffed out a deep chuckle as she replied with a high-pitched tone before she pretended to return to her lukewarm cup of tea, “Nothing.”

As Edelgard could clearly see through the songstress’s performance, the lilac eyes narrowed down and sent her disbelieved, menacing glare toward Dorothea. All the while, the brunette locks did not stir one bit and, instead, nonchalantly hummed a tune into the humid air, pretending not to see the snow-white locks’ faint pout. While Edelgard was inwardly debating whether to protest outright or let the trifling teasing pass to continue relishing in the pleasant and heartfelt feeling, a familiar gray attire at the corner of her eyes halted her thoughts.

And so, Edelgard greeted with a brightened tone, “Hello, my love. You finished your class quite early today.”

The newcomer, Byleth, nodded slightly with her usual stoic facade as she casually approached where Edelgard and Dorothea were sitting, waving slightly at Petra, who turned to greet her briefly. While the renowned Professor was known to be favored by many students at the new Academy, which often required an additional lesson from the messy blue locks outside her usual schedule, sometimes, as Edelgard heard from Ferdinand, Byleth would request assistance from her colleagues to handle the extra lesson in her stead so that she could finish her day early. And Edelgard would always be grateful whenever her lover could come back and be with her early, even if it was just a minute early. 

Turning quickly toward her former Professor, Dorothea greeted Byleth with an excited smile, and an anticipated, keen light flashed within the emerald eyes, “Oh hello, Professor. You won’t believe what just happened.”

The eager expression on the brunette locks’ facade prompted a faint chuckle from Edelgard as she echoed her friend’s excitement, “Yes, you wouldn’t believe it, my love.”

The messy blue locks tilted her head to the side in question as she approached closer to the table with tea and sweets. Suddenly, her steps were halted by a light thud against her lower part of the body as the small arms wrapped around her hip. Glancing down to see what stopped her, the cobalt eyes were greeted with the shaggy snow-white locks and the bright amethyst eyes looking up at her with a radiant smile, prompting a subtle smile on Byleth’s facade. Before she could say something, a small, sweet voice like a chiming bell bubbled out from the little child, interrupting Byleth’s thought in the process.

“L-Leeerr” 

The cracked, incoherent sound made Byleth frozen in place as her facade was pulled into a surprise with her eyes widened, and her lip hung open before the little girl pressed herself deeper into the firm body. All the while, Edelgard and Dorothea shared a brief, knowing look before they quietly observed the warm silence that started to form in the air as Byleth went speechless. A moment later, as if the messy blue locks did not know how to react, the cobalt eyes shifted back and forth between the tender lilac eyes and the flickering amethyst eyes with her lip still hung open. Eventually, Byleth seemed to find her voice among the shining light.

“Y-you are...speaking?”

As if she was answering to Byleth’s stuttered question, the small voice rose up from the little child once again with a more confident tone, albeit still incomplete. “Lo-v--” 

While Byleth’s lip seemed to hang open wider, Elos stopped her smile to contemplate on something quietly with a subtle frown before she inhaled and tried again with starry eyes and a sweet smile, “Love!”

In that instant, Byleth quickly knelt down and brought the little child into a tight embrace. While it was not an excellent executed ‘love,’ it was uttered clear enough for Byleth to understand what the girl said. And that might have surprised Byleth and made something surged through her quite an extent as Edelgard noticed her broad shoulders tremble slightly. Since Byleth hunched over the small figure, and her messy flow of navy blue was covering her face, it was difficult to know what kind of face she was making right now, no matter how much Edelgard wanted to see it. Nonetheless, Edelgard inwardly concluded that the sight of the tiny hand gently patted on the messy blue locks even though Elos was pressed deep into the firm embrace was enough to make her heart puffed up in adoration. 

With her face still buried against the little child, Byleth muffled out with a noise that hinted with joy and surprise, “You speak. You can speak.” 

Elos, whose face was also pressed against Byleth, replied with nothing but an incoherent, muffled word with a tint of brightness. All the while, Edelgard, as well as Dorothea and Petra, watched the scene unfold with tender smiles. And none of them were brave enough to break this enchanted moment. After all, besides her reaction toward Edelgard, it was quite unusual to see the stoic person like Byleth to express anything as intense as this. After a while, Byleth slowly pried away from Elos enough to look into the starry amethyst eyes with her watery cobalt pair and a shaking lip that was struggling between a smile and a frown. 

Placing her hand over her chest, Byleth spoke up again with a light, trembling voice as a trail of sparkling droplets started rolling down her cheek, “That's incredible, Kid. That’s so incredible...I-”

Byleth abruptly closed her lip tight as her face suddenly contorted into a deep frown, prompting Elos to replace her smile with a subtle furrowed brow and dim amethyst eyes. While Byleth continued looking at the child with her trembling face, Elos quietly rose her hands to cup the woman’s face before the small hands gently patted the damp cheek as if she was trying to comfort the sobbing woman. However, instead of easing the reflective trail that started from the wavering cobalt eyes, the kind action urged Byleth to tighten her lip and tremble harder, resulting in the increasing flow of the teardrop. 

Even so, the soothing attempt repeated for a while until Byleth choked out with a shuddering voice, “El. Help. I-I don’t feel good.”

In that instant, Edelgard’s face snapped into a stern one as she swiftly got up on her feet, causing a sudden clang of the fallen chair to echo within the serene garden. Without any care to the chair nor the loud, disturbing noise she accidentally created, Edelgard knelt down in front of Byleth as Elos tried to wipe out the dampened trail with her backhand.

The crimson gloved hand gently held onto the shaking calloused hand that was placed on the little girl’s shoulder before Edelgard asked her lover with a concerned voice, “What is it, my love? How do you feel? Do you want to go to the infirmary?”

Byleth slightly shook her head as the watery, reddened cobalt eyes looked up to the anxious lilac pair, “I-I feel like I’m going to explode, El. But I think I’m actually happy? But I don’t know why I want to cry too but-”

After the shuddered, almost incoherent words were interrupted by a sniff and a sob, Edelgard looked at her lover with wide eyes before she puffed out a small, relieved chuckle that drew in both the soggy cobalt eyes and the confused amethyst pair. Her carefree chuckles continued for a while until Edelgard could sense the baffled looks from the cobalt eyes and a curious amethyst eyes looking her way.

And so, Edelgard forced herself to ease her chuckle before she said with a warm, adored smile, “Oh, my love. It is called a happy tear, my love. It means you are so happy you want to cry due to the overwhelming feeling you have. You will be fine.” 

As Edelgard’s explanation evaporated into the leisure air, the cobalt eyes flattered in bemusement as the action let a few more droplets from her wide eyes and nose trail down her firm jaw. All the while, the curious amethyst eyes quietly looked back and forth between the warm smile on Edelgard’s face and the damp one on Byleth. A few moments of silence went by until Byleth’s lip formed into a silent ‘oh,’ and a tint of pink crept onto her damp, yet dazzling, face. And then, slowly, a weak chuckle bubbled from Byleth before it turned into a snort that, later, quickly developed into a wholehearted laughter Edelgard never knew her lover could do. In fact, this was the first time Edelgard had ever witnessed Byleth show a robust and intense emotion at all. Usually, the stoic woman tended to be quite subtle in her expression even after her heart had started beating. And more often than not, Byleth’s action could speak even louder than her voice and her face. However, when she saw Byleth crying, smiling, and laughing with all her heart and her body like this, Edelgard could not help but to genuinely smile and chuckle brightly along with her lover. It was such a refreshing sight that made Edelgard feel like she had fallen for the woman before her all over again. 

And none of these charming and ethereal sights that seemed like a dream could ever happen without a faint spark that was the little snow-white locks with the most angelic and innocent amethyst eyes Edelgard had ever known. The girl who was now giggling brightly as Byleth’s firm arms, once again, pressed her closed against the firm, warm body with her sheer amount of happiness. Edelgard watched the two snuggled close against each other with a fond smile as the girl giggling soon blended well with the mirthful chuckle that the messy blue locks sang. And occasionally, she could hear a faint ‘I see,’ ‘I’m just happy,’ and a few more unintelligibly words that Edelgard could not hear from the smiling messy blue locks. All the while, two other pairs of eyes quietly observed the two with fondness from the table with cold tea.

It was not until the radiant laughter started to die down and was replaced with a soft sniff that Dorothea softly spoke, “I’m so honored to witness your smile and laughter, Professor. But isn’t this bad, Edie? You want her to get adopted, right? This sweetheart just outright told the Professor that she loves her, though. I guess you might have no choice but to adopt her yourself now.”

With that, Edelgard’s brows slightly furrowed at the comment. It was truly an inconvenient sign of Elos’s connection with Byleth and her. Even though they had tried to avoid getting attached to the girl and let the girl attach to them to some extent, it seemed that things, especially on the little child’s side, had already gotten out of her control. That said, Edelgard somehow felt conflicted about whether she should continue like this or not. Admittedly, she also felt overwhelmingly thrilled to see Elos trust them enough to come out of her shell and show her true personality little by little with them like this. However, she was quite concerned when the girl had to move into a different family. She refused to see those amethyst eyes filled with sadness, after all. While Edelgard was deep in the search to find the solution, suddenly, she realized something. 

“Strange. Elos called me ‘El,’ but why did she say ‘love’ to Byleth?”

“Maybe she loves Professor and not you?” Dorothea said with a teasing tone that accompanied with a light titter, prompting Edelgard to huff out with a slight frown. 

However, before she could argue anything, the small voice revealed itself again within the messy blue locks’ arms. “Love.” 

Hearing so, the cobalt eyes looked down to the source of the voice that looked up at her as if she was calling her with sparkling amethyst eyes and a broad smile before Elos handed Byleth a flower crown in her hand. “Love!”

Suddenly, a realization flashed on Byleth’s face as she slowly reached for the flower crown, brightening the amethyst eyes further, before she asked with quirked brows, “You think my name is ‘love,’ Kid?” 

Edelgard, who also realized the same things, was pulled into a frown as she heard Petra curiously hummed before she voiced her suspicion, “Now that I think about it, Edelgard always calls Professor ‘my love,’ but Professor calls you by your name. Actually, I think none of us have called Professor by name before, is it not?”

With that, Byleth’s face was pulled into a deep frown with disappointment and downheartedness that instantly made Edelgard’s heart feel tight and heavy, which was such a stark contrast to the warmth she had a few minutes ago. A moment after, Byleth gently carried the little girl up to gaze her firm cobalt eyes into the innocent amethyst pair before she said, “Kid. My name is Byleth. By-le-th.”

However, instead of repeating what Byleth had said, Elos just tilted her head slightly to the side in confusion as she voiced, “Love?”

After she was quite sure that the little girl seemed to believe her name was ‘love,’ Byleth’s frown deepened even further before the dim, heartbreaking cobalt eyes turned to Edelgard with a desperate plea in them. “El. I love your ‘my love,’ but can you call me ‘Byleth’? And everyone too. At least until Kid knows that it’s my name?”

While Edelgard, admittedly, felt awful when she heard Byleth’s pleading, she thought that it might not be necessary to go that far. After all, this was just the first sign that Elos was ready to speak, that was all. And so, Edelgard drifted closer to her lover before the gloved crimson gently squeezed Byleth’s broad shoulder as she reassured her with a comforting tone. 

“My love, it’s alright. She just did not know how to say your name yet. Give her some more time, and she might be able to call your name eventually.”

Upon hearing so, Byleth slightly lowered her head and refused to meet Edelgard in the eyes as she faintly whispered into the shaggy snow-white locks who quietly watched them with blameless amethyst eyes, “I just wanted her to call my name like she called yours.” 

In that instant, as Edelgard could withstand the saddened cobalt eyes no more, she got up on her feet and regained her Emperor’s stern voice before the Emperor turned back to her comrades. “Dorothea, Petra. Tell the others to throw away the title ‘Professor’ and only call Byleth by her name, starting from here and now. Understood?”

While Petra simply replied with an inquisitive mix with a confused look, Dorothea glanced at her lover and nonchalantly shrugged before she nodded with a helpless sigh as if she knew that the Emperor would eventually give in to her lover's request as always. And true to the Emperor’s words as always, after the day when Elos had formed her first word, the Emperor commanded everyone in the Strike Force to address their former Professor by her name rather than her old title. Even though everyone was quite skeptical of this peculiar, yet sounded vital order, their question immediately went away after witnessing the fierce glare from the stern lilac eyes. However, changing the old habit was proved to be quite challenging. Even for the Minister of the Imperial Household, Hubert, who was known to follow the Emperor’s order with absolute authority. Sometimes, the towering man would slip out the old title out loud, receiving not only a dark glare from the Emperor but also droopy eyes from the General herself. And of course, the man would resign with a groan at such a trivial matter, knowing full well how the Emperor was with her lover’s request, before he cleared his throat and uttered the General’s name to continue consulting other important matters. Nonetheless, everyone was quite cooperative in changing their address of Byleth, and Edelgard really hoped that Elos would learn the real name of hers real soon. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> I hope you enjoy this chapter.  
> The little bird has finally arrived and revealed herself in full.  
> I tried so hard to describe how Elos articulate her 'first word'. So, I apologize if it's not clear.  
> Basically, she tried to pronounce each phoneme first before she tried to combine them. Then connect them into one word.  
> Or you can actually picture any young child who try to say a long word for the first time. Not sure if that makes sense though...  
> Let's say she really tries so hard to say those two words.
> 
> A little update: I will take a break from this story for about a month.  
> My school will start soon and I wanted to do other project I had in mind too. It's too bad my poor brain can handle one thing at a time. orz  
> And I also think that this chapter is a good place to pause the story before it goes into the next stage (Wait. My story has different stages?? Um. Maybe? lol).  
> Anyway, after a month, I'll likely to resume with bi-weekly schedule, depending on how much my uni work requires my attention. I'll see how it goes a month from now.  
> That would be everything for now. Thank you for reading and I hope you stay safe out there.  
> Take care and I'll see you all again next month!
> 
> Fun fact:  
> \- [There’s still a debate on this topic, so this’s my personal interpretation] A baby learns to speak even before she can understand what a language is. She learns by mimicking what others around her said even before she can understand the meaning of that articulation. So the first words tend to be the one that their guardians said to a baby the most, which makes a baby feel more familiar with the sound and how to articulate that word.  
> \- But for older children, they will ‘pick up’ and learn a word and its meaning from their environment in addition to things that directly said to them. And they can learn language faster than the baby due to more life experience.  
> \- Children learn to express their emotion from the others’ expression and reaction toward things in the environment. And the first step to learn is to mirror that expression. That goes with learning a word as well.  
> \- Elos is about 5 years old.  
> \- Sorry, Byleth. I love you, but Edelgard likes using pet name too much, and that kinda backfire. I'm sorry baby.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Song Track: HERE I AM - Sawano Hiroyuki Feat. Gemie
> 
> Lullaby: Safe and sound - Taylor Swift Cover by Jayesslee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyoooonnnnnneeeee I'm baaaaaaackkkkkkkk!!!  
> Ha! How's everyone doing? Good? Safe?  
> Whew, it's good to be able to continue this story again. I miss them.  
> Anyway, after the one-month break, I hope you still stick around!  
> This chapter contains nothing but a light-hearted scene, a soft opening to welcome back everyone.  
> I really hope you enjoy it.

A few weeks had passed with no sign of Elos to call her name. While Byleth understood that it might take time, she felt like her body got heavier and heavier with an invisible force every time she heard the tiny voice say ‘Love’ instead of ‘Byleth.’ Even more so when the tiny voice could execute ‘El’ with almost perfection now. It was then when Edelgard had suggested that the girl might need more help to improve her speaking skill. Besides, she claimed that being able to speak clearly might make it easier for Elos to get adopted as well. Thus, the General and the Emperor had asked around their trusted friends if any of them could provide a private lesson for Elos since neither of them had space in their tight and tighter schedules. While, admittedly, Byleth wanted to be the one who taught Elos herself, she was not sure what and how she could teach the child. After all, Byleth was only knowledgeable about fighting dance and strategies, not to mention that she was good with words at all. Despite having an opportunity to teach other interesting subjects in the new Academy, Byleth did not yet have the confidence to teach a small child as Elos. After asking around until they got to the young Crest Scholar, it seemed that Lysithea was even more than eager to tutor the little girl despite her busy schedule with the Crests. As much to the Emperor’s disagreement, the young Crest Scholar had promised that she would take less time burying herself in the pools of books and took more time to sleep and eat, compromising her precious clock in favor of the little child’s short lesson. And of course, the Emperor would eventually give up and let the young Scholar take her lead. After rearranging her schedule for a few days, Lysithea finally was ready to teach Elos her first lesson. 

After leading the little child through the hallway for a while, Byleth, along with Elos in her hand, arrived at the grand library where Lysithea had asked them to be. The library of the Enbarr palace was the biggest and certainly the oldest library within the continent of Fodlan. It housed many different books that were classified as containing the most vulnerable content in the nation. Some of them were even prohibited from witnessing by the public eye. Especially after the fall of the Church of Seiros’ teaching, the forbidden books and records had been distributed into the library across the nation. And most of them happened to be kept here in Enbarr, requesting for an exceptional occurrence by none other than the Emperor and the head of the Crest and Relic research institution himself. As soon as Byleth stepped into the vast, quiet library with a tint of dust and ancient papers, the cobalt eyes glanced around the vast area and landed at the only three figures at the center oak table. It was the same time that an aged man within the group seemed to notice the newcomer as he shifted his fatigued eyes under the monocle toward her and Elos with a straightened posture in his seat. 

“Oh. Hello there, Profess-”

Hanneman halted his lip the instant that the cobalt eyes dropped into a gloomy facade, directing at none other than the old Scholar himself. And so, clearing his throat faintly, Hanneman quickly recovered and started his greeting all over again. “Hello, Byleth. You are here to see miss Lysithea, I presumed?”

After hearing that her former colleague had corrected his words, Byleth’s lip pulled back up into her usually stoic face as she nodded slightly at the kind eyes that directed at the little girl beside her. For the past few moons with Elos, Hanneman had already met the little girl on several occasions, mostly while Manuela was examining the child’s health in the infirmary. It had to take a combined force between Edelgard, Lysithea, and Manuela to refrain the old Scholar from taking the girl's hair or even blood sample most of the time. They had told Hanneman that the girl needed to be healthy first before he could take a look at her, although Edelgard later had told her that she did not intend to let Hanneman do so in the first place. Unless the action was necessary and could benefit the girl in some ways, that was. And while Hanneman understood the circumstance and definitely wanted no harm for the poor child, sometimes, he could not control his impulse when the matter related to Crests. Much less when he met yet another individual with twin Crests. 

Nonetheless, it was not until recently that Manuela finally allowed the experienced man to take the little girl’s blood sample for the sake of Crests research, as much to the Emperor’s displeasure. However, since the physician had suggested that Elos still needed further examination of her peculiar flow within her body that might be the actual cause of her potential health danger, the Emperor had reluctantly backed down. And of course, a little chaos had thrown into the infirmary by none other than the little Elos herself, who suddenly jerked away and threw her little frame against the crimson regalia the second she saw Hanneman’s equipment. Nonetheless, after the long struggles, the results had proved to be vital information regarding the little one’s health. Apparently, Hanneman, along with Linhardt and Lysithea, had hypothesized from the blood sample that the girl’s two Crests were both an artificial Crest. Such the discovery had caused the light brown brows to knit together at the center of Edelgard’s face for days, even weeks. So far, the Crests researchers could conclude nothing but the speculation that the unnatural twin Crests might affect the child differently than what Edelgard and Lysithea experienced. However, whether it was for the better or worse, no one knew. Not yet, at least. Ever since then, the Crests scholars, especially Linhardt and Lysithea, devoted their time to investigate deeper into the matters, believing that time would reveal itself if they read enough. Regardless, there was nothing Byleth nor Edelgard could do right now. And so, they waited. 

Sighing briefly into the old dusty air, Hanneman shook his head with an indistinct murmur that brought Byleth back to the library in the process. “Ah. I cannot believe that time does fly so fast like this. But on the bright side, this means that it is finally time for you two to take a break, miss Lysithea, young Linhardt.”

The snow-white locks slowly emerged from the towering pile of books and revealed her grumbled pink tulip eyes atop upon the mention of her name. Lysithea glanced at Hanneman who quietly watched her with a weak smile under his mustache before her eyes shifted toward the two new figures. The instant the pale tulip eyes spotted the smaller snow-white locks who were standing behind Byleth with curious eyes scanning around the ancient room, Lysithea jumped out of her seat with eyes that just threw away all of their weariness as the realization drew upon her.

“Ah! Elos. Byleth. You are here already? Let me rearrange things for a bit, and then we can start.”

The sudden creak of the chair against the polished floor accidentally stirred up the sleeping pine green locks across the table and prompted a painful groan out of him. While Lysithea completely ignored the victim of her action without sparing the sleepy Linhardt a glance, Hanneman casually got out of his seat with the humble manner of the former nobel and approached the sleepy Crest Scholar, who was leisurely stretching his limp from the prolonged period of stiffness.

“Come on, young man. We would better leave ladies to attend to their business without any distraction,” the old Crest Scholar suggested as he gave Linhardt a light squeeze on his slumped shoulder.

Hearing so, the pine green locks used his hand to cover his big yawn before he replied to his supervisor with a drowsy, nonchalant tone, “I’m sure Lysithea won’t mind me sticking around, right?” 

Without even shifting her eyes toward the owner of the voice, Lysithea simply responded, “Do whatever you want. Just make sure you don’t interrupt us.”

Despite getting the halfhearted approval from the young woman, Linhardt casually shrugged toward Hanneman as if he was telling the man that ‘see? It’s fine’, earning a slight shake of the head from the experienced Crests Scholar in the process. Nonetheless, knowing that both apprentices had somewhat agreed with each other’s presence, Hanneman decided to let it pass before he turned to Byleth and Elos and excused himself.

“Alright. Then I will see you two again tomorrow to continue our research. And Good day, Byleth, little Elos.”

Byleth nodded toward her former colleague as a polite reply before he quietly left the library. Suddenly, a light tug at her jacket brought the cobalt eyes back to the curious amethyst eyes that were looking up at her with the armored teddy closed against her. As she could not resist the urge, the corner of Byleth’s lip curled up into a subtle smile before the calloused hand gently rustled the shaggy snow-white locks. It was then when Lysithea’s voice called out for them from the big table as she placed down a small stack of books beside her.

“Alright. I’m ready. Come on here, Elos.”

Upon hearing the invitation, Elos simply looked toward the young woman and blinked at the anticipated tulip eyes without moving from where she stood beside Byleth one bit. As Byleth saw the silent reaction, she slowly approached Lysithea and took out the two chairs to place one near Lysithea's seat and another next to it. After Byleth rearranged the chair and took a seat at the one furthest from the young woman, she beckoned Elos to take the seat beside Lysithea, who was sitting and waiting with eager evidence in her tulip eyes. However, the amethyst eyes looked back and forth between the cobalt pair and the empty chair for a moment before she walked toward her and climbed up to settle herself on Byleth’s lap instead. The action prompted Byleth to furrow her brows slightly before she gently carried the girl by her armpit and brought her to the chair beside Lysithea, where she was supposed to be. When Byleth settled back in her seat, the shaggy snow-white locks climbed down from her chair and climbed up onto Byleth’s lap again as the impassive amethyst eyes innocently looked up at the troubled cobalt eyes. Eventually, Byleth gave in with a sigh through her nose before she moved herself to sit beside Lysithea with the persistent Elos sitting on her lap with her soft teddy bear against her chest. Despite receiving a confused look from the young Scholar, Byleth slightly shrugged it off and beckoned Lysithea to start. 

Thus, Lysithea retrieved a book at the top of the pile and opened it in front of the curious amethyst eyes and the dull black buttons. Looking over the shaggy snow-white locks who was having her armored bear’s paw tapping playfully on the paper, Byleth was quite surprised to see the book full of Fodlan’s big alphabet that accompanied with a colorful illustration of things related to that alphabet. Usually, the book, even for children, would contain only an endless pool of words, but this one seemed to strangely have only a few words or phrases with the majority of the page filled with a simple illustration. 

As she had never seen this kind of book before, Byleth tilted her chin toward it and curiously asked, “What’s that?”

Hearing the question, Lysithea turned away her attention from stopping Elos to ruin the book with her teddy’s paw to the curious cobalt eyes and simply explained, “This? It’s a book that Bernadetta made for Elos to learn words easier. She came to me a few days after I told her that I volunteered to teach Elos, saying the typical books might not suit her. I looked through it, and I think it is brilliant to use a drawing to accompany the words and the story. It can help a small child to know the word and see what it’s like. But it seems that the drawing might be too much of a distraction right now.”

Lysithea finished her sentences with narrowed eyes as she looked at the girl and the bear’s paw that kept tapping and scratching on a certain drawing. And so, trying to use this as an opportunity to teach the little girl, Lysithea tapped her finger on that alphabet and read it aloud. “Yes, Elos. This is ‘B’ like ‘Bear’ or your teddy bear. ‘B’”

As she called her name, the amethyst eyes pried away from the colorful drawing to the tulip pair before they shifted back to the illustration of a big cuddly bear with big eyes and a friendly smile in the book before her. While the amethyst eyes brightened with a faint glimpse and looked back and forth between the bear in the book and the bear in her arms, Byleth hummed along as an acknowledgment. Considering the thin books with various color illustrations in front of her, Byleth silently thought that this might be a great source for other children to learn, too, if it proved to help Elos well. Maybe she should take this matter for Edelgard and Ferdinand to deliberate further. Thus, after she concluded her thought, Byleth quietly watched the lesson begin over the shaggy snow-white locks. While the young Crests Scholar kept on reading aloud the words and the story, the amethyst eyes followed along with the pale finger with a small gleam that flashed brighter whenever the finger was stopped at the simple illustration. On the table not far from them, Byleth noticed Linhardt skimming through an ancient book with focused eyes in silence. Ever since the Academy’s days, the man never showed interest in fighting or even healing at all. He simply accepted the role of the healer to keep his friends safe on the battlefield. Nothing more, nothing less. And in a time like this, with books and knowledge, was the only time when he truly shined. 

Quite a considerable time had passed as the library filled with nothing but Lysithea’s voice reading aloud the story and the letters. Even though Elos was listening in silence and never once made a sound, Byleth could see her amethyst eyes flashed with a bright gleam when Lysithea read her a new word or when she flipped through the book to the next page full of color and drawing. While Byleth was hoping to hear more words out of the small child during the lesson, she found that seeing the girl enjoying herself was enough. The peaceful rhythms went on for a long moment until, suddenly, a loud yawn soared through Lysithea’s voice. The sudden, distracting sound prompted the amethyst eyes to turn away from the book to the stretching man not far from them, halting the lesson in the process.

Knowing the source of the drowsy yawn right away, Lysithea sent a dark glare toward Linhardt, although it did not bother him one bit. “What is it? Does my sleepiness interrupt you in any way?”

Upon such a careless response, Lysithea let out a faint, annoying groan as Lindhardt continued repositioning himself and prepared for his napping session on the oak table. After rearranging chairs around him to create a long bench, Linhardt then laid down on the row of chairs, using his arms to support his head just like a pillow does, and finished his labor with another wide, well-earned yawn. No matter how long they have known each other, Byleth would always be amazed by the man’s ability to sleep anywhere and anytime he desired. Such a free spirit of slumber he always was. Unexpectedly, a movement from the little child on her lap stole Byleth’s attention from Linhardt. When the cobalt eyes glanced down, it was the same time that the little one jumped off her lap and tentatively walked toward the lying man. While Lysithea watched Elos approaching Linhardt with a slightly disappointed face, Byleth simply observed the girl in silence, being curious of what the girl was about to do. From afar, Byleth could see Linhardt marginally opened one of his exhausted eyes and glanced at the approaching girl and her teddy bear, stopping Elos’s movement in the process. But instead of doing or saying anything further to the child, Linhardt closed his eyes and went back to his nap. Seeing that the man went still once again, Elos quietly got closer to stand beside him before the scarred hand slowly raised and gently placed on the pine green hair. As Linhardt did not resist the touch, the little girl started patting lightly on his head. While the tulip eyes went wide in surprise mixed with a tint of envy, beside her, Byleth’s lip curled up into a warm smile. For some reason that she did not understand herself, the sight urged a warm feeling inside her chest that she felt her lip formed into a smile on its own. A few moments later, however, her ears started to pick up a faint, shuttered melodious tone that floated leisurely along with the silent, dusty air within the library. As Byleth paid closer attention to the unfamiliar sound to look for its source, her cobalt eyes grew wider as her mind realized what the sound was. It was a song. A lullaby. Her lullaby. Elos was humming that same lullaby with her small, sweet voice. 

Finally responding to the girl’s presence, Linthardt faintly protested with his usual harmless sarcastic, stopping the soft humming in the process, “Oh. I’m a child who needs a lullaby to sleep now, huh.”

However, the words did not stir Elos as she only blinked down at the man who did not care to open his eyes before she assumed her lullaby and a gentle pat. With that, Lindhardt could not help but to smile subtly at the corner of his lip as he huffed lightly and said with a faint amusing tone, “Do what you please, Princess.” 

Not long after, it seemed that the man drifted into sleep with a lullaby luring him into the blank dream. All the while, Lysithea shook her head slightly as she chuckled faintly at sight before turning back to tidy up the table and wrapping up the lesson. However, Byleth only watched the child hummed her lullaby, the same one she sang for the little girl every night, with wide eyes in silence. As the sweet sound continued louder in her mind, Byleth felt a surge of warmth flare up from her chest to every corner of her body. It was such an overwhelming feeling that made her cheek hurt, and her eyes blur. Silently, Byleth concluded that as long as Elos was still with them, she would need to get used to this kind of feeling soon. Otherwise, she might burst up for good some days. Not that she would complain anyway. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After hearing that the girl had finally spoken and called their Emperor’s name, not to mention that she actually sang a lullaby for Lindhardt even, everyone in the Strike Force tried to clear their schedule to visit the little girl, determining to teach her to say their names. Apparently, it seemed that almost all of them had agreed to take on a small competition. If Byleth heard it correctly, they agreed that whoever got the girl to say their name first would get to ask the others to do whatever the winner desired for a week. It seemed that the reward was far too tempting to take the competition easy as each of them took their turn to meet Elos almost every day the girl was not in the meeting with the Emperor. However, so far, none of them had succeeded yet, not even Byleth. Nonetheless, after several private lessons with Lysithea, she could see the improvement in the little one’s articulation of words as Elos was able to say more words besides ‘El’ and ‘Love’ already. Sometimes, she even bubbled two words simultaneously like ‘sweet,’ ‘me too,’ ‘El tea,’ or ‘Love eat.’ Even though it was such a wonderful, welcoming development, Elos still could not call her name.

“Byleth.”

“Bae?”

“It’s Byleth, Elos,” Byleth repeated again as she pointed her long finger to herself, hoping that the girl who was sitting on the soft rug inside the Emperor’s office would repeat what she said.

However, instead of practicing articulating her name as Byleth thought she would, the small scarred hand turned Byleth’s finger toward herself and tilted her head to the side in confusion. “Be-re?”

Furrowing her brows slightly, Byleth pried her finger out of the loose small grip to point at herself and back again at the curious amethyst eyes as she corrected the right names for the girl, “No, I’m Byleth. And you are Elos.”

Within a beat, Elos quickly returned her grasp around the calloused finger that pointed at her as she said with a confident tone and a bright smile, “Elos!”

The child's beaming face eventually prompted Byleth to give up with a brief sigh and a weak smile. Maybe it might take more time, but she would get there. At least, the girl seemed to know her name well. And so, Byleth simply wrapped the small scarred hand within hers as she gently ruffled the shaggy snow-white locks with another, urging the little child to lean her head slightly against the rough hand. For now, she should just wait for Edelgard to come back from the meeting and try another time. As Lysithea had suggested, teaching a young child needed quite a lot more patience than teaching an older kid, after all.

“Don’t worry, Byleth. I’m sure Elos will say your name someday.” 

Suddenly, a cheerful voice that hinted with a timidness emerged from the entranceway along with the creaking sound of the wooden door opened and the faint clanging sound of the heavy armor. As soon as the cobalt eyes turned back to meet the familiar violet locks, the energetic voice of the sky blue hair man beside the young woman resonated into the confined room, supporting what his trusted friend just said.

“Bernadetta’s right! Don’t make such a face, Byleth.”

When Byleth slightly inclined her head toward Bernadetta and Caspar as a greeting, the cobalt eyes notice the small stack of books within the man’s arms. And so, curiously of what they were, Byleth voiced her guess, “Are those the children books you made, Bernadetta?”

Turning back from the door she just closed, the timid woman beamed up as she excitedly grabbed one of the books from the stack within Caspar’s arms and approached Byleth with eyes full of energy. “Yes! I'm so happy that Elos wanted to see more of my books. She loves it, right? AHHHH I’m so happy. I made a few more with different contents in them. I hope she will like them, especially this one!”

At the same time that Caspar managed to place down the stack of handmade books onto the Emperor’s desk, the enthusiastic Bernadetta finished her unusually rapid words with the thin book hovering dangerously close to Byleth’s face. In front of her, the book's leather cover had a colorful thread embroidered on it, reading as ‘Team Black Eagle Strike Force.’ Tilting her head slightly to the side so that she could see the sparkling eyes of the violent locks, Byleth hovered her hand over the thin book and raised her brow higher as a silent question if she could take it for the moment. After getting an affirmative nod, Byleth tentatively took hold of the handmade book with care as she skimmed through the content inside. Interestingly, instead of finding a few more words inside, Byleth found various portraits of every familiar face Byleth knew well with a name writing pretty clear beside each of them. 

Realizing the intention behind this particular book, the corner of Byleth’s lip drifted upward slightly before she handed back the book to its creator and expressed her gratitude for the violent locks’ thoughtful craft, “Thank you. I’m sure she will like everything, especially this one. Wanna show her?”

Upon hearing so, a shade of pink appeared on Bernadetta’s face as she took back the book and delightedly giggled as if she was both so taken by Byleth’s praise and the excitement to show her craft to the little girl. Thus, the chuckle did not continue for long as Bernadetta quickly knelt down beside the little girl, who was playing with her teddy bear, before she showed the picture in the book in front of the amethyst eyes, pointing at one particular figure in the book that was frankly similar to the timid, yet talented woman herself. 

“Now. Elos. This person right here is me. Bernie. Can you call me? Bernie will be very happy!”

Shifting her focus on the stuffy to the portrait of the violent locks and up at the real person, Elos innocently blinked at Bernadetta for a few times before she hesitantly and curiously spoke up with her sweet voice, “Ber-nn?”

However, before Bernadetta’s eyes could finish flashing a vibrant gleam as a reply to the sweet voice, Caspar abruptly flopped down beside the timid woman and interrupted whatever Bernadetta was going to say with his blasting voice instead. “Wait. Hey, it’s my turn now, Bernadetta! Here, here, I’m Caspar. Cas-par!” 

Caspar repeated his name over and over again as he exaggerated his articulation with a slow, wide mouth. Thus, Byleth slowly stepped away from the girl and made more space for the timid woman and the vigorous man to enthusiastically utter their names back and forth in front of the curious amethyst eyes. However, a few moments later, Byleth could hear that the matter somehow started to shift toward a different direction by none other than the sky blue hair man. Specifically, it seemed that Caspar suddenly started to daydream about what he would do after he won the competition as Bernadetta was voluntarily turned into a good listener as she always was. All the while, the cobalt eyes silently observed the little girl awkwardly flipped through the book with her teddy’s paw until she stopped at one page. From afar, Byleth could only catch a glimpse of a crimson figure standing beside the grey one as the amethyst eyes stared at them with a strange glow in them. Even though she was quite curious why the little girl seemed to like that particular page that much, Byleth did not want to interrupt the lively exchange between her friends. And so, she only stood there in silence, watching them with a subtle smile adorned her face. Admittedly, while Byleth was quite disappointed that Elos had not known her name yet, at least, everyone seemed to be comfortable calling her by name instead of the old title. In fact, it felt good even. Ever since she was small, she never cared about what others might call her before. Even her father rarely called her name. She wasn’t sure when and why she started to care about such a vital thing. And so, knowing that everyone in the Strike Force, especially Edelgard, was willing to change their habits and being supportive of her unreasonable, nonsense request, it urged a strange, refreshing warmth to gently wake up every blood in her veins until it reached her soul. Perhaps. More than anything, this warm feeling seemed to subside the tight knot she felt every time she heard ‘Love’ instead of her name, at least for a tad bit. And of course, even though this hurting, numbing feeling would have stayed in her chest for a moon later, she would always be patient. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today was just like any other day, where the heads of the united nation gathered together in the Emperor’s office to consult their daily mission and working vision toward true peace. However, the difference with this morning was that instead of discussing a political dilemma with stern faces and heavy air, the Minister of the Imperial Household and the Prime Minister were gravely conferring about the little contest between the Strike Force. All the while, the General and the Emperor were listening to the daily bickering between the couple in silence.

“I am Ferdinand von Aegir, the Greatest Prime Minister in Fodlan history! Now! Repeat after me!”

The radiant voice of Ferdinand resonated throughout the Emperor’s office as the faint rustle of parchment on Edelgard’s desk continued as if the man did not just scream into the confined room. Elos, who was originally supposed to be the one Ferdinand was talking to instead of everyone in the room, simply kept staring at the bright orange eyes with an impassive gaze as she was sitting on Byleth’s lap without any further response.

Noticing that the girl did not react to his lover’s forever annoying self-proclamation, Hubert accidentally, or rather intentionally, let out a small snicker through his white-gloved knuckle before he poured out his usual sarcastic tone that hinted with a rare caring subtleness, “Perhaps, if you shorten your name into ‘Ferdie,’ just like Dorothea suggested, then it might be easier and definitely more comfortable for the girl to say your name.”

While Ferdinand was huffing out with a protesting frown toward the man, Hubert continued handing the Emperor with another parchment from the small stack in his arms, pretending to ignore his lover’s fuss as always. Suddenly, a realization flashed onto Ferdinand’s grumble face as if he found a way to turn the table against his own beloved.

And so, with a bright smirk of an amateur, the long orange locks declared with a confident, daring tone, “Ha! Admit it that you just wanted to prevent me from winning the contest.”

Upon hearing so, the golden eyes narrowed down in a slight insult and shifted toward the smirking orange locks who was kneeling in front of the staring amethyst and cobalt pairs before Hubert simply responded with a solemn voice, “I did not agree to the terms of your silly game, Ferdinand.”

Without missing a beat, Ferdinand countered the man with his quick wit worthing of the Prime Minister’s title, “But you were there and witnessed our agreement, didn’t you? That was enough to be a participant in this honorable contest!”

While Ferdinand puffed his chest out in pride at his own ability to outmaneuver his lover, who had the sharpest tongue among them, Hubert only sighed annoyingly with a slight shake of the head. After he decided to just let his partner win his score only this one time, Hubert turned back to his humble duty and received a finished parchment from the giggling Emperor, earning another helpless gaze from the Minister of the Imperial Household in the process. 

As she saw the expected reaction from her retainer, Edelgard halted her chuckle and suggested, “Hubert. Don’t worry. I will never judge you for participating in this little game of theirs. You have been working nonstop, and this might be a good chance for you to take a small breath in between.”

“With all due respect, Your Majesty. I do not care if the girl can call my name or not. Thus, I must humbly refuse,” Hubert, however, was quick to decline to his lady’s caring words with the utmost composed voice and a respectful bow as usual. 

Ferdinand, who just stood up and approached his lover at the Emperor’s desk, enthusiastically patted his hand on the lean shoulder and disputed Hubert’s words with a wide, knowing grin, “Come on, Hubert. Admit it that you want this little Princess here to call your name too.”

Upon hearing such an unfamiliar nickname, Byleth raised her brow slightly in curiosity as she asked the Prime Minister, “Little Princess?”

Turning back to the messy blue locks on the soft rug with the little girl, Ferdinand replied with a bright face, “Yes! She really suits that nickname, isn’t she? Am I right, Princess?”

Upon the Prime Minister’s answer, Byleth noticed the orange eyes landed on Elos in her lap, who tilted her head slightly to the side in confusion before the stern voice, coming from none other than Edelgard herself, interrupted the converse between them, “She is not a princess, Ferdinand. Don’t call her something she is not.”

However, it seemed that the warning did not faze the optimistic man one bit as Ferdinand brushed away the heavy tone with his own casual, lightened voice. “Don’t be such a hassle, Edelgard. Everyone in the Strike Force, well, besides Hubert here, agrees that Princess is a well-earned nickname for little Elos. Besides, even if she is not a real princess, she will be my lovely little princess always.”

At the same time that Ferdinand uttered those last words, the cobalt eyes could see Edelgard’s eyebrows twisted slightly in the same way she always did whenever someone spoke something upcoming, especially about Byleth, as the Emperor cracked her lip with knitted eyebrows. All the while, the orange locks was bowing down as if a noble knight humbly greeted his lady toward the placid amethyst eyes. However, before any voice could let through the thin, pink lip, Edelgard quickly snapped her mouth shut. 

Within a beat, the Emperor rearranged her expression into a subtle frown instead, as she said with a collected, mixed with annoyance tone, “Byleth. Can you enlighten this stone head Prime Minister to know what he should and should not do, please?”

The second that her last one went through her lip, the small bickering back and forth about the appropriateness of the nickname ‘Princess’ began to resonate throughout the confined office, mercilessly floating all over scowling Hubert. All the while, Byleth only smiled helplessly at the rare occasions where the bickering between the Emperor and the Prime Minister was about such a trivial matter. Normally, Edelgard would try her best to brush off and ignore any potential altercation that Ferdinand presented with his energetic, refined voice. Otherwise, as Edelgard occasionally mentioned, her sanity might be lost due to the talkative and rivalrous man, though Byleth would never complain to listen to her lover’s unfortunate misery. After all, Edelgard would almost always end her grumble with a sweet appreciation of Byleth’s calm and quiet personality, leaving the messy blue locks with a warm fuzzy feeling afterward. Suddenly, a faint movement of the shaggy locks and a small bell-like voice emerged from her lap. 

“Buy?”

At that moment, the small hesitated sound stopped every noise that fiercely resonated within the room as every set of eyes turned toward the little girl on Byleth’s lap with her amethyst eyes looking up to meet the widened cobalt pair. As there was no further response from the messy blue locks, Elos slowly blinked into the wavering cobalt eyes and replayed her melodious voice again, albeit a tad bit louder.

“Buy-led.”

As the sound flicked Byleth out of the haze, Elos moved her arms over the teddy bear in her embrace and positioned them into a pose that was similar to the way she was holding a long stick up and down. The posture Byleth recognized as the way the girl let her know that she wanted to go fishing. The posture always brightened Byleth's heart whenever she could sense that the little child was interested in what she was fond of. But that joy could never compare to the feeling of happiness she was giving right now from the sweet, lovely voice. A voice that tried to form into her name. Her real name. 

As soon as Byleth could regain her senses, she quickly wrapped her solid arms around the little girl, bringing her into a tight embrace before she muffled her excited voice into the shaggy snow-white crown, “Yes. Yes, Elos. I’m Byleth. That’s me, Kid. Wanna go fishing?”

Even though she was not sure if the girl could hear her right as she was pressed against her like this, Elos nodded into the broad shoulder anyway. Nonetheless, such a small response was enough for Byleth to burst out into a thrilling chuckle that prompted a warm smile on the Emperor’s face. While the word was not quite right, that was enough for now. Perhaps her name was hard to pronounce, after all. Besides, as long as she knew what her true name was, that was enough. All the while, Ferdinand and Hubert shared a brief look as the little girl was wiggling her way up over the shoulder. It’s 

As her face was free from the tight muscle, Elos tried calling out to the woman again with a longer and louder voice, demanding to get what she asked, “Buyleeeed.” 

Upon hearing the little prod, Byleth subsided her chuckle, albeit with her radiant smile remained, before she pried away from the little girl and reassured her with dazzling eyes full of joy and life, “Alright. I’ll take you to the pond right now. Right away, Elos.”

“So. Does that mean I can call you, ‘my love’ or ‘my light’ or…‘my empress’ again?”

As Byleth felt the firm arms wrapped around her shoulder and the warm weight against her back, Edelgard’s sweet breath was blown into her ear, prompting a wider smile and another set of giggling from her in the process. Turning her head slightly to have the ever so passionate lilac eyes within the cobalt’s periphery, Byleth raised her eyebrow slightly as the smile was replaced with her teasing smirk.

“You never call me ‘your empress.’ ”

After humming faintly and sighing through her nose, Edelgard quickly gave a peck on Byleth’s cheek and said with a confident tone, “Not yet.” 

The brief, yet impactful, counter of the Emperor earned another bashful chuckle and a faint tint of pink over Byleth’s face. Such a carefree face full of delight prompted a smile on Edelgard’s face as the lilac eyes stared into the soft cobalt pair with utmost love she could ever feel for no one but her. All the while, Edelgard tried her best to harvest this very moment into her mind, planting them into every corner of her heart so that she could retrieve them even when she was asleep. Just like what Byleth was silently doing, trying to harvest this feeling, the feeling of being loved, wanted, and recognized, as much as she could so that she could never doubt again. Never doubt that no one loved her, wanted her, or recognized her. 

“Byled?” 

Suddenly, Elos called out her name once again as the amethyst eyes stared at Byleth, waiting for her attention. When the cobalt eyes reluctantly pried away from the lilac eyes and landed onto the shaggy snow-white locks, Elos motioned her silent request once again, hurrying the messy blue locks to take her to the pond.

“Okay, okay, kid. Let’s go fishing,” Byleth quickly accepted the little one’s silent request as she slowly straightened up on her feet, prompting Edelgard to unwrap her arms in the process. 

After Elos also stood up to follow her, Byleth gently prodded her to go and get her gears that were stored in the Emperor’s office. Since Edelgard also noticed how Elos seemed to like her small rod so much, she decided to sacrifice a small corner of her office room full of papers and books just to store Byleth’s and Elos’s fishing gears. However, instead of running toward the storing chest right away, Elos tugged lightly on Byleth’s jacket before she handed her the armored bear, temporarily leaving it with her. Of course, Byleth took it with care. After the small scarred hand patted lightly on the teddy, Elos took off. While the soft cobalt eyes followed the shaggy snow-white locks trotted toward the sturdy wooden chest, she felt a light squeeze of the crimson gloved hand on her shoulder as she heard Edelgard’s voice directed toward Ferdinand at her desk. 

“Well. Does that mean she won the little competition you all have?” 

Upon hearing so, Ferdinand swiftly crossed his arms as he corrected Edelgard’s words, “Byleth didn’t explicitly agree to our terms when we were coming up with it, Edelgard. Even though she was there with us, that doesn’t mean she is the official contestant.”

However, instead of letting the Emperor down with his statement, Edelgard only curled up her lip into a teasing smirk as she countered his words with a firm tone, “Well. Being there is enough to take part in it, isn’t it?”

In that instant, the orange brows mingled together into a deep scowl as Ferdinand sputtered his next argument in which he could come up with none. A few moments of incoherent words later, eventually, he gave up. “Fine. She won. Just so you know, I did not agree with you because you outwitted me, but it’s because I also have the same conclusion!”

Edelgard huffed out her victory as her smirk grew wider before turning back to Byleth. “Now, my lovely Byleth. I believe you will use this opportunity well?”

Shifting her eyes from the little girl to her beloved, Byleth sent a glowing smile that could light up even her cobalt eyes before she replied with a slight nod, “Of course, El.”

After getting a warm smile back from Edelgard, Byleth went to help Elos prepare their fishing gear. A few moments later, Byleth and Elos bid their goodbye to everyone before they left the office to go fishing. During all of their times together since they stepped out of Edelgard’s sight, a bright smile never left Byleth’s face. And indeed, Byleth would use her victory to her advantage well. Just like how she was so good with the strategy. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> I hope you enjoy it! Finally, after many moons, Elos calls Byleth as 'Byleth' now! Well, kind of. But Can everyone give her a big clap? She tried, you know?  
> Actually, when I first learn English, I felt like the 'th' sound was the hardest one to say. I struggled with this sound a lot, actually. Even now, I can't seem to say it 100% right.  
> That's why I think Elos's lip, which did not have a chance to move and articulate a word, might make it difficult for her to articulate some sounds, like 'th.' But she will get there.  
> Also, I hope to make it clear for the language in this fic. From the game, I would guess that Fodlan has its own language that was not English, but for the sake of my little knowledge, I'll just assume that they use English here. While it would be interesting to do some research about what language they use in the game, I simply don't have the time...;w;  
> Like, I have to say that I haven't had much time to do a throughout proof reading for this chapter even. Turns out, the online classes required a lot of time, more than I was expected.  
> But I think the bi-weekly schedule is doable. Anyway, I'll keep you update in the future.  
> Alright, lastly, thank you for waiting. I really appreciated everyone's time to read my story and even commenting kind words. Really. Thank you. :)  
> Please take care, and stay healthy!


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Song track: 「Blue Night」"Suite" - Sawano Hiroyuki

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: Everyone please look at the very first fanfic art for this chapter!  
> https://loquemevengaalamente.tumblr.com/post/635361236403585024/this-illustration-is-inspired-by-this-beautiful  
> This beautiful piece was created by the lovely Whatevercomestomind ! Thank you so much! ><
> 
> Happy late Halloween!  
> I was going to public this chapter on the Halloween night, but my poor brain forgot to do it KSDJFJGK  
> Anyway, before I get into this chapter, I have a big change (for me, at least) to clarify.  
> So, at first, I wanted so badly to have Petra addresses Dorothea and generally speaks with Brigid’s language, which mean a foreigner language beside English. Personally, I headcanon Brigid as one of the country in South East Asia with its tropical, beautiful ocean vibe. So I really wanted to have Petra speaks my language, which is one of SEA countries. But then I was afraid to use my own language simply because...well, afraid. That’s why I just used English in the end. But thanks to your Kudos and kind comments I feel more confident than before to actually use my language in the fic.  
> SO! a small vocabulary lesson,  
> 'ที่รัก' is read as 'Tee-ruck.' It literally means ‘the place where my love lies’ in my language. This is quite a common word a couples or spouse use to address each other.  
> 'องค์หญิงน้อย' is read as 'Ong-ying-noi.' It means ‘little princess.’  
> I will try to change Petra's words in the previous chapters, but it would take times a bit for my busy schedule.  
> Now that's done. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

“Edie. Do you know what your dear Byleth has been doing with her victory from that bet we had?” 

Dorothea’s dry, fatigued voice brought the relaxed lilac eyes back from the flocks of birds in the blue sky to the exaggerated frown on the brunette’s charming face. Pretending she did not know what the songstress was whining about, Edelgard simply sipped at her lukewarm bergamot before she flatly asked, “Hm. I wonder what she has been doing.” 

When she heard such a nonchalant yet hinted with a mischievous tone as if the woman already knew the answer, Dorothea groaned slightly into the warm air before the emerald eyes looked up to meet the relaxing lilac pair and started the retelling of her miserable, busy week. “Edie. Your Byleth has been asking us to take over some of her works for the past week! I mean, they are just a small task here and there, but still! I would rather gouge my eyes out for my dear Petra’s shining and tight skin than the plain cluster of words on ugly parchments and reports, you know? And do you know what she does with those free times? She just spent all of it on fishing! With Elos! All of it!”

Edelgard chuckled at how Dorothea’s voice grew louder and more desperate in every word she let out before she leisurely spoke up, “You are exaggerating things, Dorothea.”

The remark prompted the songstress to slightly pout before it was quickly replaced with a long sigh and a weak smile on the thin lip as the emerald eyes softened with a melancholic air, “Though it actually feels good and relieved to know that she finally asks us for help after all these years.”

Upon hearing so, the corner of Edelgard’s lip grew slightly wider and softened as she nodded along with her best friend’s words. Ever since she knew Byleth as her professor at the Academy, the woman never asked anyone for help at all, even when she was grieving over Captain Jeralt’s death. And when she asked for help, she always asked in favor of the other’s hidden tension and worry instead of her own. Even now and then, with her current position as a general and a professor, the woman always seemed even more eager to help others, regardless if they were a student or not, while refusing to share her workload. To be frank, although her heavy burden as the Emperor was far more than busy and demanding compared to Byleth, Edelgard always found herself worried for her lover and asked her to take a breath more than occasionally. Though, most of the time, the conversation always ended with Byleth using Edelgard’s own words against her. As a way to halt her mind to recall back all of those mortifying defeated moments, the crimson gloved hand carefully slid the striking crystalline jar with a strange design that seemed like it was polished outside Fodlan toward Dorothea, prompting the curious emerald eyes on the glassed container in the process. 

“Here, try this. A little token of my appreciation for your trouble.”

After quirking her arched eyebrow in wonder, Dorothea tentatively scooped the golden sticky substance in the jar with her teaspoon and brought it to her delicate lip. “Mmmm. This honey is so sweet and rich. Where did you get this from, Edie? I bet it’s not typical honey in the market, correct?”

Upon seeing the glowing emerald eyes, Edelgard inclined her head slightly as she dipped her teaspoon into the bright golden syrup and tasted the bit of sweetness herself. After the flavourful sweetness spread in her mouth and refreshed her dry throat, Edelgard elaborated more, “This is premium honey we just got from the foreigner merchant. Apparently, their exotic bees could produce quite an extraordinary honey that is full of flavor and nutrition. The council and I are considering importing more of them as a first step in establishing a diplomatic relationship between nations. But since we still have not come to terms with the contract, the merchant gave us a few samples to try.”

Dorothea hummed melodiously as she continued relishing herself in the golden syrup within the exotic jar, seemingly to enjoy the unique sweetness rather than the Emperor’s words. All the while, the woman kept murmuring about how she must take a small portion of this for her beloved Petra to try after she was back from the mission. And of course, Edelgard would not have any objection at all. After all, the more people tried it, the more commentary and insight she could get for her consideration. 

“El.”

Suddenly, a small sound prompted the lilac eyes and the emerald pair to shift toward the round edge of the table where the amethyst eyes with the shaggy snow-white locks along with the dull black button popped out from underneath. As she noticed the curious eyes directed at the shiny gold within the glass jar, Edelgard could not help but to chuckle faintly at the little girl who had been quietly playing with her bear guardian under the table up until now. It seemed that the little child was always curious about everything and, more importantly, easily lured out by sweets. Knowing so, the crimson gloved hand scooped a tiny bit of the teaspoon before she offered Elos to take a taste of the honey. Of course, without having to say a word, Elos dutifully opened her mouth wide as the teaspoon with a golden syrup carefully floated into her mouth. As soon as the sweet gold was devoured into her, the amethyst eyes flashed a bright, dazzling light, telling Edelgard that the girl loved it. At that moment, as the shaggy snow-white locks disappeared under the table once again, Edelgard silently concluded that it might be worth agreeing to the contract, after all. 

While the Emperor and the songstress went back over a few trivial converse, a few moments later, the lilac eyes spotted the tiny, scarred hands trying to reach for the jar of honey sneakily. Knowing right away whose hands they belonged to and what their intention was, Edelgard shook her head and smiled weakly while Dorothea sang out a muffled chuckle at sight. Even so, the snow-white locks pretended that she did not see the action and allowed the little thief to take the jar in an obvious discreet manner. The warm lilac eyes and the amusing emerald pair kept watching the exotic jar slid across the table in silence until it disappeared under the table. The sneaky snagging somehow reminded Edelgard of the time when Caspar tried to secretly eat snacks under the desk in their Black Eagles classroom. Surprisingly enough, the man somehow thought that no one was aware of his violation despite all of his indiscreet movement and sound. 

“Good grief. Are you sure you will let her have the whole jar of honey, Edie?”

With Dorothea’s voice brought her back to the table before her, Edelgard raised her brow slightly in a daring manner as she simply replied, “If she could open that jar to get into the treasure, that is.”

The vague response prompted Dorothea to raise her brows in confusion before the curiosity got over her and urged the brunette locks to look under the table. And as the Emperor predicted, the lid of the jar was designed with a peculiar mechanism that was quite rare to see within Fodlan, meaning that even some adults might have a hard time trying to find a way to open it. And of course, the little Elos would have quite a trouble opening it, not to mention that she had no experience with opening anything at all. While Dorothea watched the struggle with a faint snicker, Edelgard, who followed the songstress and took a small peep at the little thief, weakly giggled at how Elos put everything she had to open the jar. She really tried so hard to taste that sweet again, it seemed. Eventually, after a few more moments of the little girl’s hardship, Edelgard thought that the girl might have learned her lesson enough and was about to finally lend her a hand. Suddenly, a glow of light flashed in front of Elos with a familiar symbol of the rare Crest before it soon followed by an exploded sound of the shattering glass. Hearing so, Edelgard quickly and fully looked under the table with surprise and urgency evidence in her lilac eyes. And before her, the little girl was sitting there on the soft glass with shattered fragments of the broken glasses scattered all over her small frame along with a sticky golden substance. However, the most concerning thing for Edelgard was not how the vulnerable item had lost to the ground, but it was the pool of bright crimson under the child, and the stained crimson knuckle with the sharp edge of the shuttering glass remained on it. 

“Elos! Your hand!” Edelgard blurted out with an alarming voice as she quickly pushed the table away to reach for the wounded child. 

The amethyst eyes glanced at her innocently as if she did not understand why Edelgard had to make such a grim face before the girl turned back to the remnant of the golden honey on the ground and all over her body. A beat later, the small hand that was free of the fresh crimson smear scooped up the contaminated honey on the grass and lifted them up over her opened lip. With the highest speed she could muster, Edelgard swiftly grabbed the girl’s hand and stopped her from swallowing both the dirty syrup and the possible remnants of the sharp broken glass down her throat. However, the amethyst eyes simply looked at Edelgard with confusion before she used the crimson hand to try to pry away the restraint of the crimson gloved hand on her without showing any care to the fresh wound on it. Seeing how the little girl acted as if she did not feel the pain at all made Edelgard feel tight and heavy in her chest somehow while her mind was spinning wide to find the reason behind such a peculiar reaction. Nonetheless, there was another matter that she had to focus on first and foremost right now. 

“Elos, you are hurt. I’ll take you to Manuela right now.”

When Edelgard quickly yet carefully carried the girl in her arms and was about to take off to the infirmary, a strangely calm voice halted her step, “Wait, Edie. Let me stop the bleeding first.”

With a stern, dim facade, Dorothea was quickly by her side as the light green radiance around her hands hovered over the small hand. The amethyst eyes only stared at the glowing green silently until the songstress swallowed hard and looked up with a slightly lighter expression.

“It’s only just a minor cut, thank goddess. But be careful next time, little princess. I hate to see your cute hand stains with blood and wounds.”

While Edelgard watched the girl with a concerned look and furrowed brows, Elos innocently blinked at the songstress and responded with nothing but silence. Seeing that the girl did not react at all, Dorothea furrowed her brows in concern and pensively looked at her for a few moments before the songstress lightened up with a weak smile and started singing a soothing song. The instant that the melody was formed upon the delicate lip, the amethyst eyes brightened up with wonderment and astoundment dancing in them as she stared at Dorothea and her voice. By the time the song had ended, Dorothea had finished her treatment and retracted her hands back. However, before she could fully pry away from the girl, the tiny hand that was still stained with a crimson smear grabbed at her slender fingers, prompting a confused look from the emerald eyes in the process.

But before either Dorothea or Edelgard could say anything, Elos opened her mouth wide as one word came out, followed by a choppy, uncompleted voice with different pitches, “Do-tee. A-Aaah. Aaaaah.” 

Dorothea shared a look with Edelgard briefly as they thought that Elos might try to say something to her. But without long, a realization drew onto the songstress’s face before she excitedly spoke up to the girl, “Ah! You want to sing with me, sweet princess?”

Instead of getting an explicit answer, Elos simply blinked quickly for a few times, urging the songstress to continue her speculation with her fond voice, “Or maybe you like my song, hm? Here, sing along with me until we get to the infirmary then. Alright, one, two-”

Despite earning a baffled look from the Emperor, Dorothea let it pass as she began singing another heartwarming song. And this time, she made sure to keep her eyes at the starry amethyst eyes as the stuttering yet small and sweet sound continued humming and occasionally voiced out loud alongside the melodious one. And sang along until they arrived at the infirmary, they did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After the small incident, it was quite fortunate that the cut was nothing of any severe wound. And Dorothea’s first aid and aftercare helped a lot to prevent another scar from adorning the small hands. When Byleth first heard about it, she promptly restrained Elos from fishing to allow the small hand to heal as much to the little girl’s silent disapproval. Admittedly, Byleth was slightly disappointed at the news, too, since she greatly enjoyed the little girl’s company with her. It was quite a refreshing feeling to have another person to fish with, not to mention that what they did was only fishing with her mind full of nothing but the lullaby of the peaceful ripple. Though, rather than a refreshing feeling, saying it was quite a nostalgic feeling might be more accurate, considering she never shared this fond hobby with anyone since her father left this realm. After all, those memories with them quietly fishing side by side were something she always cherished closed to her heart.

Nonetheless, no matter how much she would love to spend her ideal time fishing with the girl, Elos’s injury was something she could never overlook. And this was when Byleth first learned that whenever Elos protested and, technically, being stubborn, the amethyst eyes would just simply and prolongedly stare at her or Edelgard in the eyes without blinking. The emotionless amethyst eyes would maintain their hard stare with strangely still, heavy air that made the General and the Emperor want to comply with the little girl’s request. And they refused to move an inch away from them unless the girl got what she wanted. While Edelgard would always end up giving in and granting Elos the sweets and whatever she desired, the stare never worked with Byleth, who skillfully responded to the silent, stubborn protest with a stare of her own. Considering how much greater experience with staring and observing she had, there was no way that the child’s fixed gaze could complete with the sharp cobalt pair. And when that happened, the amethyst eyes would defeatedly evade the cobalt eyes before the little girl would gradually curl up into a ball on the floor or the soft lawn with her head hung low. All the while, she would appoint her little bear guardian to be her messenger by conveying her desires with its motion, such as a reeling gesture for fishing. And this was what was happening right now in front of Byleth as she refused to take Elos to the pond for the countless times since the accident a few days back. Seeing so, as always, Byleth tried to persuade Elos to play or do anything else instead so that the girl’s interest could be distracted from her fond hobby. After pondering for a few moments, finally, an idea came into her mind.

“Hey, Elos. Wanna up?”

Surprisingly, that worked. The little child slightly tilted her head up and peeped her curious, yet dim, amethyst eyes toward the messy blue locks as the armored bear stopped reeling its invisible rod. Seeing so, Byleth smiled faintly before she gently carried the girl up high over her head before she lowered her down to sit on her broad shoulder. Byleth carefully straightened up from the palace garden's soft grass as she silently observed the girl’s reaction with anticipation in the cobalt eyes. While the slightly widened amethyst eyes gazed up and down between Byleth and the scene up high around her, Byleth gently yet firmly placed her calloused hands over the scarred legs, safely securing the girl on her shoulder.

Nudging the girl above her with her tilted head, Byleth asked, “This is ‘up, up.’ Do you like it?”

With that, the starry amethyst eyes gaze down at her before the girl nodded deep against the messy blue locks. All the while, Byleth could feel her bandaged hand excitedly grip her hair and the little feet wiggling under her secure hold. As Elos seemed to like it, Byleth slowly walked around the garden to add more fun for the girl. And soon after, they began soaring the warm wind of the afternoon as its whistling melody flowed through their ears, mixing well with the sound of their chuckle that resonated into the empty garden. For a while, the play was quickly escalated to the point where Byleth ran and jumped around until a melodious voice pulled them out of their world.

“Mind if we join your fun?”

Turning toward the sound as her steps gradually stopped and gave way to the sound of her labored breath, Byleth replied to the approaching songstress with an inviting smile, “Of course, Dorothea. How was the meeting?”

After sending a small wave toward the little girl above Byleth, the brunette locks elegantly placed her hand on her hip as she shook her head slightly in fatigue and grumbled look, “Oh, it’s as boring as ever. If it wasn’t for Edie’s sharp tongue that cut through the merchant’s sly talk and gave me such a fun show, then I would definitely fall asleep there.”

“And here I thought you were sleep-listening for the whole time. Then why you seemed eager to leave in such a hurry, I wonder.”

Edelgard teasing remark turned Byleth’s eyes toward the Emperor, who just came back from the political meeting along with Hubert, Ferdinand, and Petra followed behind. While Edelgard, her retainer, and the Prime Minister halted their steps not far from Dorothea, Petra closed her distance with her lover and gave the pink lip a quick peck. After successfully hanging a smile onto the songstress’ facade, the Future Queen of Brigid turned toward the sweet voice that was greeting her with an excited ‘Pe-ta’ as she playfully teased the small scarred hand that was reaching down to her.

“Oh, Edie. Don’t tell me you don’t want to leave that dull meeting and just relax yourself with your little princess here?” Dorothea recomposed and returned the teasing with a glowing of mischievousness in her emerald eyes as she gently carried Elos down from Byleth, earning a hard, blank stare, which quickly replaced her previous flickering eyes, from the girl in the process.

While Edelgard was sighing through her nose helplessly, realizing her mistake to start a teasing war against the songstress, Byleth noticed the amethyst eyes look toward the solemn golden eyes beside Edelgard. The stare continued for a few moments as Dorothea began her teasing regime upon the Emperor. Eventually, Hubert seemed to notice the strange stare and shifted his golden eyes to meet the little girl who was just moved from Dorothea’s arms to Edelgard’s as the latter reclaimed her hold on the child. 

However, before Hubert could say something to the widened, enthusiastic amethyst eyes, the small excited voice interrupted his trail of thoughts along with the reaching scarred arms toward him, “Up, up.” 

Upon hearing so, Dorothea quickly switched her attention and turned toward the little girl with an exaggerated serious face. “Sweetheart, I’m quite sure that you don’t want to play with this scary man.”

Tilting her head slightly to the side, the Future Queen of Brigid, who was standing beside the songstress, chimed in with a voice full of confusion and a word full of honesty, “Why, ที่รัก? Hubert is a kind and nice man. I do not think he will scare or hurt องค์หญิงน้อย.”

While Ferdinand hummed and enthusiastically nodded along with Petra’s words as if she was talking about him rather than his partner, Hubert only annoyingly huffed out with a scowl appearing on his sunken-cheeked face before he politely disputed, “While I appreciate your optimistic insight, Petra, I must disagree with it.”

Hubert paused to lean forward and let his menacing golden eyes gazed deep into the bright amethyst pair as he continued with a deep, rough voice, “After all, you never knew how many countless times I have actually done so.” 

At that moment, it was like the heavy silence abruptly hung around them and replaced the warm, welcoming wind of the day while the two pairs of eyes stared down at each other, refusing to pry away before the other did. The silence went on for a beat as Byleth saw Edelgard’s lip cracked open with a deep frown on her face. However, the voice that everyone heard was not the stern warning of the Emperor, but rather the lively, sweet voice that accompanied with a gentle slap of the scarred hands against the sunken-cheeked face. 

“Up, up!”

As the golden eyes went wide in surprise and bafflement, the unexpected sound prompted the heavy cloud to dissipate away and turned into several sets of muffled chuckles. Feeling completely defeated, eventually, Hubert let out a long deep sigh as he straightened up to clear his throat loud enough to subside some of the gigglings around him. However, it seemed that his attempt to recompose himself was in vain as it promoted even louder chuckles instead, especially from Dorothea and Ferdinand. When he was considering paying his lover’s betrayal with his glare, Hubert saw the radiant amethyst eyes persistently staring at him, and the hovering stretched arms remained toward him. Tolerating the girl’s request no more, Hubert complied. 

Reluctantly, Hubert lowered himself on the grass and turned his back toward Elos within Edelgard’s arms. Before the Emperor could ask confirmation from her retainer, the little girl’s sudden movement interrupted her as Elos quickly climbed onto the man’s back and settled herself on the lean shoulder. The sudden, merciless weight caused the man to stumble forward with a faint deep groan before he awkwardly regained his balance and carefully stood up. All the while, his face was partially covered by the hanging teddy bear that was held by the bandaged hand. As Elos was lifted, Byleth could see the amethyst eyes glowing brighter and brighter the higher she went. When the towering man was getting up straight, the amethyst eyes shone like the sun of the midday as she looked up to the vast blue sky above that was closer to her reach now. And for a long moment after, she kept wriggling her tiny feet in excitement and enjoyment as the amethyst eyes remained on the ocean of blue sky. A silhouette of a bird came into her view and urged her to throw her arm up as if trying to catch the lone bird, prompting Edelgard to smile at the sight with a soft gaze upon the little child. Seeing such a content smile from her lover, Byleth silently relished herself into the moment and the warm flame dancing within her chest. All the while, she could hear a few more giggles continue beside her. As a few moments passed, the cobalt eyes then turned to see Dorothea and Ferdinand still muffled their chuckles. So, curiously of why their chuckle continued, she followed their line of sight to Hubert, who was starting to have several noticeable droplets of sweat on his forehead behind the teddy bear’s soft body.

Before Byleth could inform everyone of the weary man, she heard Edelgard fondly ask the little girl above with a tilted head, interrupting her words to form, “Do you like the sky, Elos?” 

Without prying her eyes and arm away from the sea of blue, Elos enthusiastically nodded, prompting a wider smile on Edelgard’s pale facade in the process.

“Seeing her like this, I am wanting to take her to soar the sky with me on my Wyvern next time,” Petra casually commented as she moved closer to the Emperor and gazed at the child with bright eyes.

Upon hearing so, Byleth nodded in excitement as she silently agreed that Elos might like to fly over the sky while Edelgard’s relaxed face was soon replaced with a subtle frown that hinted with restlessness. “As much as I think that your idea indeed sounds intriguing, Petra. I think riding a Wyvern or being near it at all might be a bit too dangerous for her at the moment.”

With ears as sharp as an owl, Dorothea quickly chimed in with a wide smirk on her facade, “Come on, Edie. Don’t be such a strict mom. Let the girl have fun. If she can slap Hubie like that, I doubt Wyvern can do anything against her.”

Even though Edelgard huffed out slightly in protest, she did not say anything against her best friend’s words, most likely because she did not want to risk opening another war of words with her again. Nonetheless, it was then when the shivering figure was finally within the lilac’s periphery as Edelgard noticed that her retainer might need immediate help. After his last movement to bring the girl up to the highest peak of his towering height, Byleth noticed that Hubert never moved an inch since, or rather, he could not move. Regardless, as the shivering grew more intense, albeit not enough for the little girl to notice her unstable stand, Byleth started to concern that the man might actually fall at any moment. Besides her, it seemed that Edelgard might come to the same concern as the gloved hands tried to reach up and carried the girl down. But with height differences, she could not do so unless she would risk the girl to fall along with her retainer, not to mention how the delighted girl’s wiggling legs in the high place could potentially increase the risk of collapsing as well. All the while, Dorothea and Ferdinand were having quite a good time ridiculing the poor man as Petra only sent a pitiful gaze and a weak smile toward Hubert. It seemed that Byleth and Edelgard were the only two who noticed the silent request of support from the trembling man right now.

So, trying her best to help her retainer and prevent the little girl from another potential injury, Edelgard changed her strategy to convince Elos to come down on her own account instead. “Elos. My angel. Do you think you can spare Hubert for a bit? Come to me instead?”

Upon hearing the call, the amethyst eyes pried away from the sea of blue down to the warm, albeit concerned lilac eyes. The radiant amethyst eyes blinked at Edelgard once before she tightened her grasps on the black hair as she tried to hide behind the man’s head, even though it obviously could not wholly conceal the small child. A beat later, though, as if realizing her flawed cover, Elos pulled up the hanging teddy bear in front of the man’s face closer to her, settled it down on the black hair, and hid behind the little guardian instead. Despite the lingering concern, the sight prompted a weak smile to appear on Byleth’s face as well as Edelgard. It seemed that they had only witnessed just the tip of the girl’s stubborn iceberg.

Thus, Edelgard tried again as she continued with a softer tone that was closer to a plea. “Come now, my angel. You can ride my back instead.” 

With that, the amethyst eyes peeped out of her teddy bear for a bit as she stared contemplatively at Edelgard’s extended hands and the warm face as if she was thinking about her words. After a long moment, Elos furrowed her brow slightly before she returned herself into her cover and pressed against the black hair as if she did not want to ride Edelgard back. 

As Hubert’s trembling increased and started to bend forward from the weight of the child, Edelgard convinced the girl once more, “Elos, it’s alright. You can ride me for now, and next time you can ride him again. How is that?”

Elos went still behind the soft teddy for a few moments before she reluctantly took down her guardian and bent herself down toward the extended hand, allowing Edelgard to swipe her down from the man. The instant that the weight was gone, Hubert tried his best to stumble on the floor with the most dignified posture he could muster while Edelgard lifted Elos up to ride on her shoulder and fulfilled her words. After settling down on the new ride, Elos furrowed her deep red brows a little before she rested her chin on the crowned snow-white locks with a small sigh as if she was not satisfied with the result of the negotiation. Before Edelgard could feel disappointed in herself, the amethyst eyes suddenly filled with a flash of light as the small nose wiggled. Within a beat later, Elos buried her nose into the snow-white locks for a moment before the furrowed brow was replaced with a serene, content face as she buried her face further into the soft locks. Sensing a small smile and a tightened grip on her head, Edelgard shared a disbelief gaze with the fond, relieved cobalt eyes for a moment before Byleth sent back her a warm smile, prompting a glow of star to appear in the lilac pair and a smile on the pale facade.

And that day, every servants and guard in the palace were greeted with such a bizarre sight of their refined Emperor holding a stuffed bear instead of the stack of parchment and having the sleeping child clinging onto the elegant snow-white locks in addition to the golden horned crown. All the while, their General followed them close from behind as the sharp, cautious eyes never left the sleeping girl and the broad back of the crimson regalia. Nonetheless, despite stealing a glance toward such an odd sight, no one dared to say anything. Not that they wanted to ruin the endearing sight anyway.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To no surprise, from that day onward, the first thing Elos would say to Hubert was always “up, up” and only to him. And she would be quite persistent unless she was persuaded for sweets or fishing instead. Each time, Hubert would groan painfully as the little girl tried to climb onto him and complained a lot afterward. Nonetheless, he never refused the request and compiled every time the girl asked. A few weeks after the first time Elos knew the word ‘up, up,’ everything was just the way it normally was, saved for the fact that Hubert became more tolerant of the child’s weight the more she asked for the ride. Thinking that way, it was a great benefit for the man who always refused to spend his hard labor unless he needed to. And Edelgard always had a hard time trying to get him to train his body more often since the Academy’s days. However, today, something was changing in the air. Edelgard somehow could feel it. While the snow-white locks was trying to take hold of this strange sensation, the lilac eyes silently watched the shaggy snow-white locks diligently smeared her colorful crayon on the canvas. Before she could conclude her thought and assigned the name to the peculiar feeling, however, a knock came through the door into her office and brought her attention to the towering retainer. 

Upon entering the room, Hubert inclined his head to greet his Emperor with a stack of documents in his hands before the man walked toward the child instead of the Emperor’s desk as usual. While Edelgard slightly raised her brow in confusion, her retainer gently bent down and awkwardly carried the little child, who was busy with her masterpiece, up onto his shoulder without her asking, earning a deeper confused look from the Emperor in the process. As Elos settled herself on the man and chuckled faintly with a blue crayon still in one hand and the armored bear in another, Hubert carefully approached Edelgard. Even though the man was slightly shaking, the Minister of the Imperial Household professionally managed to report just like always as if a girl was not sitting on his shoulder. Nonetheless, knowing him for such a long time, Edelgard knew that there was something different about him today, something other than his physical labor and his peculiar act. And her instinct was proved to be accurate as Hubert, who just finished his report, did not excuse himself as usual and simply stood in front of her in silence. All the while, the strangely solemn and calculated golden eyes gazed upon her. Even so, she decided to let it pass and continued reading her parchment on the desk. If the man wanted to say something, then he would do so whenever he was ready.

After a long moment, as she predicted, he finally spoke, “There is one last matter I must inform you, Lady Edelgard.” 

“What is it?” Edelgard simply asked as she looked up to meet the dim golden eyes before her attention was diverted to the innocent chuckle and the small smile on Elos’s face with her tiny wiggling feet. All the while, the little girl faintly repeated 'Hubie' over and over with a different pitch each time as if she was trying to get used to the man's name and get his attention.

While Edelgard was relishing herself in such an adorable sight with a warm smile, she heard Hubert inhale a breath to compose himself before he announced with a deep, calm voice, “I just got a letter stating the interest to adopt the girl.”

At that moment, Edelgard felt like everything had stopped as the chilling air pulled down her smile into a thin line. When the stolid lilac eyes shifted to the solemn golden pair, Hubert continued, “I still need a confirmation letter from them, but it will only take a week or so.”

Edelgard found herself nodded along with the man’s words even though her mind was still filled with nothing but one matter. One week. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The leisure night wind blew softly through the messy blue hair as Byleth strode down the dim hallway, making her way to her and her lover’s private quarter. Today was a long unusual day where Byleth had to teach her class for the whole day, leaving her with fatigued eyes and a hazy mind at the end of the day. Nonetheless, her eagerness to see her beloved again never faltered despite her weariness, not to mention how much she missed her and her warm smile whenever the lilac eyes landed on the shaggy snow-white locks. Thus, with a few more long strides that had unknowingly fastened their speed, she finally arrived at her destination. After Byleth squeezed herself through the door and went straight to their bedroom, the cobalt eyes quickly spotted the loosen, radiant snow-white locks along the curved, scarred back and the smaller, less well-maintained one on the bed. As she slowly approached closer, her ears began to pick up some words from the thin lip. 

“....then the heroine waves her goodbye to the frog in the pond. She runs back to her family. She hugs them close and smiles with happiness...” 

The silver moonlight trickled in through the gap of the curtain and amplified the radiant light against the two snow-white locks, creating an ethereal sight that seemed to be out of this world, much less something Byleth had dreamed to witness herself. While the cobalt eyes relished herself into the scene with a warmth flickered within her swollen heart, Edelgard’s soft voice danced around the room and continued reading words after words from the book in front of her. All the while, Elos was snuggling close in her lap with her little guardian pressed against her and her big, bright amethyst eyes fixated on the colorful book. Since she did not want to interrupt them, Byleth silently and carefully walked with her toes and thought to climb onto the bed with the least noise as she could muster. Nonetheless, it seemed that her presence could never hide from her beloved as those enhancing lilac eyes glanced at her after she took only a few steps forward, planting Byleth on the place with her straight face. However, before Edelgard could say anything, the sweet voice brought her attention back to the shaggy snow-white locks instead.

“Fog?”

Looking down to align her lilac eyes with the curious amethyst pair, Edelgard faintly smiled as she corrected the girl’s utterance with a slow and precise articulation. “It’s ‘Frog,’ my angel. Frog.”

The amethyst eyes concentrated on the pale face for a beat before she tried again with a more confident and enthusiastic voice, “Fog.”

Despite the incorrect utterance, Edelgard could not help but giggle faintly at the unwavering amethyst eyes that still looked up at her, convincing her to forgive the little mistake. “Yes, Frog.”

It was then when Byleth suddenly felt an urge to involve in the bedtime lesson as she climbed into the bed and chimed in with her face closed to the little child, “How about you try this, Kid. Fish.”

As the glowing amethyst eyes shifted toward the cobalt pair, Elos uttered the word Byleth had said with a more excited voice, “Fid!” 

Upon hearing yet another inaccurate articulation, Byleth repeated the word again with a more exaggerated movement of her lip and her bare teeth, “It’s ‘sh,’ Elos. There’s ‘shhhhh’ at the end.” 

After the amethyst eyes observed the woman’s gritting teeth with whistling air blew through their gaps, the girl bore her teeth wide and exhaled hard and fast through them. Even though the sound she made was not exactly the right ‘sh,’ Byleth could not help but to smile fondly anyway. Thus, seeing how much the child tried to imitate her, Byleth lovingly ruffled the shaggy snow-white locks and praised the girl for her great effort. 

While the little child leaned slightly against the calloused hand, out of curiosity, Byleth asked the dim lilac eyes, which were strangely gazing at Elos, as her cobalt eyes hinted at the book in Edelgard’s hands, “What’s this?” 

The question seemed to pull Edelgard out of her thoughts as she startled slightly before she quickly recomposed and flatly responded, “Oh, Lysithea said to read her a bedtime story. It will help her learn more words and such.” 

Despite the lingering melancholy in the lilac eyes, Byleth pensively hummed her acknowledgment before she gradually squeezed herself in between Edelgard and the headboard to wrap her closed against her firm body. When she settled herself into a comfortable position, Byleth adorned the curved, delicate nape with a warm kiss, prompting a bashful chuckle and a faint pink on the pale face in the process. Such a reaction urged Byleth to continue showering her lover with her pure passionate touch as she snuggled deep into the crook of her neck, which earned yet another chuckle from the snow-white locks. All the while, the curious amethyst eyes only looked up and observed them in silence. 

When the charming giggling started to subside and was replaced by a comfortable short silence, Byleth spoke up against the soft skin with a muffled voice full of adoration, “I miss you, El.” 

Upon hearing so, Edelgard raised her hand and gently placed it against Byleth’s warm cheek as she replied with an equally passionate voice, “I miss you even more so, my love. How was your class?”

“It’s fine. Lots of teaching,” Byleth managed to muffle out her words as she leaned against the warm touch of her lover’s hand with faded scars. 

Edelgard gently stroked her thumb over the rough skin as she carried on the conversation with a tad bit lower voice, “Do you like it?” 

After nodding into the delicate, yet firm shoulder, Byleth whispered her answer with a subtle smile buried deep in the pale skin, “Yes, a lot.” 

While she felt Edelgard leaned her head against hers and let the strand of blue and white mingled lovingly together to create a unique song that only them could hear, Byleth comfortingly rested her chin over the delicate yet firm shoulder and relished herself in the warm body and a bergamot scent. Suddenly, a faint movement and an inhaling sound brought their attention to the little girl who was letting out a big yawn with a small drop of tear at the corner of her eyes before she buried herself further into Edelgard. And apparently, it was a very contagious one as Byleth found herself letting out a yawn right after the girl finished hers with groggy eyes. At the corner of her eyes, Byleth could see Edelgard looked at her with a weak smile and a faint chuckle, seemingly adoring what was unfolding in front of her. However, not even a moment later, Edelgard also caught the yawn from them as she tried to use her hand to cover her opened lip. And so, Byleth could not help but to fondly giggle at the sight before she gave the corner of the teary lilac eyes a deep, soft kiss.

“Well. It’s time for bed.” 

“Time for bed,” Edelgard voiced back the whisper from her beloved with a sleepy smile before she turned back to the sleepy child on her lap. 

“Come now, Elos. My little angel. It’s bedtime.” 

Being a good girl as she always had been, Elos drowsily blinked at the soft lilac eyes a few times before she slowly crawled into her arms and snuggled deep against her chest to find the steady rhythm under the scarred skin. And just like every night before, while Edelgard held the child close and gently rocked her with care, Byleth sang her lullaby and soothed the child into a deep sleep. When she noticed the girl’s chest soundly went up and down, Byleth gave the delicate nape another peck before she reluctantly shifted herself to the front of her lover. She raised her hand toward the lilac eyes that still remained on the peaceful face, gesturing to carry the sleeping girl from the tight warm cradle and bring her to her bed beside the window as usual. However, Edelgard did not respond and only went still even after a few more moments had already passed. Sensing that Edelgard was thinking about something, Byleth, as always, waited patiently for her lover as she gradually lowered her hands. Eventually, Edelgard’s thin lip started to move.

“Can we...have Elos sleep with us tonight?...just tonight?” the snow-white hair woman hesitantly whispered without meeting Byleth in the eyes, confirming that she did have something in her mind that Byleth did not know. 

Even so, Byleth did not want to push her to say things against her will. She never pushed her. Thus, instead, Byleth slowly lifted her calloused hand and gently placed it over the clouded face, hoping to comfort the woman with her tender touch. She fondly caressed her thumb over the pale skin, urging Edelgard to lean against the warm touch as the lilac eyes gradually hid behind their curtain slightly. 

As she could feel her lover relaxed under her calloused hand, Byleth curled up her lip into a reassuring smile and whispered softly, “Of course. If that's what you want.”

Even without opening her eyes, Edelgard seemed to sense the caring smile from Byleth as she faintly smiled briefly before her lip was formed into a silent ‘thank you.’ And so, being careful not to wake the sleeping child, they reposition themselves to lay down on the bed as Byleth’s firm arms tightly embraced Edelgard and the little child who was snuggling between them, protecting them from the cold breeze of the merciless night. As both of them were about to follow Elos into the realm of dream, Byleth placed another passionate kiss on the snow-white’s crown before she let the weight of her eyes closed down her vision.

“Good night, El.” 

Edelgard, who was indulging herself in the warmth of her lover and the snuggling ball at her chest, tilted her head up to gently collide her lip with her beloved’s one. “Good night, Byleth...my light. I love you.”

Without opening her eyes, Byleth smiled and sleepily murmured back, “Love you more, my heart.” 

There was no more exchange of sweet and passionate words between them afterward. Only the silence of the full moon night was surrounding them and cradled them into the deeper realm in their mind. As they were together within the arms of one another, they knew that they would be safe. Even so, Edelgard seemed to envelop the little girl tighter than usual as if she was trying to protect her from something, or rather to memorize the feeling of the child clinging to her as much as she was allowed to. Regardless, Elos, who was unaware of the reason, simply snuggled further into the tender and safe protection as she tightened her small arms around Edelgard, leaving the poor teddy bear out of her grip and being forgotten onto the cold hard floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Did you enjoy this chapter?  
> I hope that the sudden change of Petra's speech language wasn't too confusing.  
> Oh! And I just noticed that the Kudos is more than 100 now!? I mean-I know the same account could spam Kudos and such but still- THANK YOU! I'll keep doing my best!  
> Anyway, I have midterms and papers for the upcoming 2 weeks (aka a very busy week), so I'm not sure I could finish the next chapter within my bi-weekly schedule or not, but I'll see what my rotten brain can do.  
> Lastly, I hope you enjoy candy and sweets for the Halloween. Stay safe out there and take care!
> 
> Fun fact:  
> \- Children is more intelligence than we might think. They learned to be tolerance and adaptive to any negative factors if the environment constantly posts those factors to them, especially at the young age. At the same time, they can also learn to get what they want by watching the reaction of adults and adjust accordingly. The process takes time though, but some children might be 'faster' to adjust. So, it also depends on the child's individual difference.  
> \- Don’t worry. Hubert never hurt any children before even though he could be quite scary for them.  
> \- Edelgard was trained to take the throne since she's a child. And when she walks or just stands still, she always does so with a straight back and slightly tilted chin (yes, she’s hot). So! I bet she can walk straight with a pile of books on her head no trouble, not to mention that she can definitely balance Elos on her head. XD  
> \- The Bedtime story is based on nothing real, so don’t think too much about it. I just think that Bernie might write something about a female protagonist, and I just think that a frog is cute...  
> \- When I wrote the yawning scene, for some reason, I kept yawning as I imagined them yawned too… So yawning is contagious just by imagination?


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Song Track: Felidae - Sawano Hiroyuki: Gemie & Tielle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a lot shorter than the others since my uni assignments are trying to eat me alive and I can't find a time to sit down and write anything other than the research papers.
> 
> ANYWAY, I hope you enjoy this short chapter nonetheless.
> 
> "เจ้าหญิงน้อย" = Little princess

As the sun rose from the thin line of the horizon, the new day unfolded itself before the citizens of Enbarr and welcomed them to spend their time under the refreshing light. While the citizens were living through their daily routine along the ancient pathway of the crowded city, those who worked within the grand palace diligently carried on their responsibility as usual. Each of the guards reclaimed their day shift with their sleepy comrades while each of the servants scattered throughout the palace to contribute their hands and passion. After the usual busy day continued until the sun drifted higher into the clear blue sky, the buzz and fuzz started to subside for the warm break with the sharp sunlight. Most people would gather to share their leisure time and light meals, taking a morning breath for their bodies and minds. However, it seemed that not everyone was having a relaxing time, especially the cluster of close friends who were gathering within one confined room that belongs to the timid archer with violet locks.

“Byleth. I’ll say again for a thousand times. Do. Not.”

Byleth felt her face contorted into a deep, slightly annoyed frown as she heard Dorothea’s firm words halted her silent thought with a grave look as if the songstress would never let Byleth do what she desired no matter the cost. However, for what reason, Byleth could never know. Whenever Byleth moved with her cobalt eyes, trying to look past the brunette locks, the narrowed, cautious emerald eyes would follow and instantly covered her line of sight. It seemed that Dorothea was really serious about preventing Byleth from doing what she wanted to. 

With a deeper frown that slightly turned into a sadden, pleading one, the messy blue locks asked with a voice as if she was on the verge of tears, “Why? I just want to help her.”

Dorothea seemed to be taken aback by her sudden change of tone for a bit before the brunette locks recomposed herself with a long sigh and resisted her stand with a lighter weight in her tone, “I’m sorry, Byleth. But it’s for the best.”

Upon hearing so, Byleth tried again as she poured in more pleading eyes onto the woman before her, “Can’t I really cut Elos’s hair myself?”

With that, Dorothea quickly regained the weight in her voice as the emerald eyes fixated on the messy cobalt hair and repeated her disallowance for how many times she had lost count, “No. Byleth. Never in a thousand years, I will let you cut my sweetheart’s hair.”

Furrowing her brows deeper in both disappointment and confusion, Byleth still did not understand why the woman seemed to be very opposed to the idea. A few days back, after the Emperor was informed about a family who was willing to accept the little child into their forever home, she announced the wonderful news to her lover and her trusted friends with a frankly distant voice. Upon hearing such information, there were a few mixing words and opinions among the Strike Force for a few moments. But in the end, for a reason Byleth did not have a mind to care at that time besides looking into the blank, dim lilac eyes, the Strike Force decided that it was a great opportunity for the little girl to have a new look. A more appealing look that would make the family went blind upon meeting the child for the first time, as the crew had put it. Not to mention that everyone would agree that the child’s long, unkempt snow-white locks was something that needed a great amount of attention and touches to tame it. However, no matter how many renowned people with great skill the Emperor had sent, Elos always refused to turn her back for them with a sharp scissor to touch her hair. Therefore, in the end, they realized that there were only a few whom Elos would allow standing behind her with a sharp object in hands. Back into the confined room where everyone agreed to be a proper place for their operation, while the calloused hand was absently playing with her messy, uneven strand of navy blue, the cobalt eyes peeked past the brunette locks to Elos and Bernadetta at the middle of the room. 

When the cobalt eyes could finally have them within their sight, Byleth simply asked, “Bernadetta seems like to have a problem, though. Are you sure you don’t need my help?”

With that, the emerald eyes shifted back and followed along with the cobalt’s sight before they landed on the little girl who sat comfortably on the wooden stool with her stuffed bear tug tight on her lap and her hanging scarred legs above the floor. All the while, Bernadetta stood closed behind the long, shaggy snow-white locks with a scissor in one trembling hand and a simple comb in another. Her face awkwardly contorted into a mix of expressions Byleth could not decrypt as several droplets of sweat appeared all over. At the same time, the widened grey eyes filled with everything but calmness. The same kind of eyes the timid woman always had whenever she was ready to rush back into her room after someone accidentally found her during the late-night meal. The difference would be that, right now, she was in her own room, and there was nowhere to escape. All the while, standing behind both of them was Felix, who had his arms crossed over his chest with an impatient scowled face.

“Bernadetta, the hair won’t cut itself and wait for you to stop shaking. Just cut the damn hair already.”

The instant that her name was called with a deep harsh tone, Bernadetta startled with a squeak that soon followed with a small whine as the violet locks tentatively turned toward the tense glare Felix was sending her way in the hope to drive her to begin cutting the shaggy snow-white locks. Though, instead of urging Bernadetta to start her task as he might have hoped, it seemed that his rushing words actually made things worse because the violet locks’ body seemed to shudder even harder afterward. Noticing how his childhood friend was about to ruin the whole confidence the timid woman had been accumulating for just agreeing to let everyone entered her room and picking up the tools to trim the long snow-white locks, Sylvain tried his best to remedy the situation. 

“Be patient, Felix. Our princess needs perfection for her new, gorgeous look. Besides, we could never rush an art such as this. Isn’t that right, Bernadetta?”

Whipping her head toward the casual smile, the timid violet locks stuttered for a few indescribable words before she nodded frantically as an answer instead, prompting a wider smile and a small chuckle from the carefree man in the process. Nonetheless, Sylvain’s successful attempt to help Bernadetta suddenly fell down to the ground as another set of irritated voices emerged from the short woman with snow-white hair beside him.

“Whatever. I can’t be here for the whole day, so can you start now?”

Lysithea’s piercing, narrowed eyes stared down at the restless Bernadetta, causing the violet locks to resume her intense trembling once again. All the while, the sound of the thick heel tapping against the hard floor grew louder and faster, the less patient the pink tulip eyes had left. Suddenly, another energetic voice chimed in from another side of the violet locks with a hint of a grin behind the laughter as if this situation was only a fun sight to witness for him. 

“Hahaha. Come on, Felix. Lysithea. Don’t scare her like that. I’m sure she’s just about to do it soon, right Bernadetta?”

While Caspar playfully threw his arms over the shuddering shoulders and cheerfully rocking the violet locks back and forth, Linhardt, who stood beside his childhood friend, hummed along in contemplation as he watched Caspar before he flatly voiced his thoughts with a fair warning and a sleepy tone, “Well, Caspar. If you keep doing that to her, Bernadetta might accidentally stab Elos’s head with that scissor.”

Upon hearing so, everyone, especially the timid archer, turned toward the pine green locks with widened eyes in unison as their minds followed the sleepy Scholar’s words before their faces lost their fresh color for a few shades. While the heavy silence continued for a brief moment, long enough for everyone to imagine along Linhardt’s words, suddenly, a desperate scream mixed with crying bursted out from the violet locks within the solid arms. 

“NOoooo! Bernie don’t wanna hurt Elos! Ahhhhh Bernie can’t do this! Why did Bernie even think that it’s possible for Bernie to do it!? AHHHHHHH.” 

While Caspar and Sylvain tried to calm the distressed and panicked woman down as much as they could, Lysithea and Felix redirected their glares toward the yawning pine green locks with an increase in its blaming and rough intensity. As the havoc started to knit itself into a tangled ball, Petra, who was crouching beside the little girl, faintly spoke up with a calculated, serious voice, “Linhardt is true. It is possible. But it will be bad If เจ้าหญิงน้อย injured. I do not think Edelgard will ever forgive any of us if that ever happened.”

Finally, as if she could tolerate the immense stress and pressing pressure no more, Bernadetta gradually closed down her senses and let her consciousness slip away. Her grey eyes were covered with a thick, white haze, and her trembling lip kept repeatedly murmuring ‘she will kill me’ over and over. The instant that the violet locks lost her strength and collapsed, Caspar quickly halted the slumped, falling frame as everyone frantically comforted and rallied the poor Bernadetta with their indecipherable cluttering. All the while, the amethyst eyes simply tilted her head up to curiously watch the chaos played out in front of her. Seeing such an unexpected, yet not surprised, event, the brunette locks could not help but sighing long with a hopeless face tinted with a fatigued mind.

“She will be fine...” Dorothea eventually muttered weakly without meeting the cobalt eyes.

Upon hearing such a hesitant, tired response from the songstress, Byleth quirked her brow higher in complete doubt, clearly seeing that their decision might not be the right call, after all. After the Strike Force, along with the Emperor and herself, had realized the girl did not trust any of the servants to tame her shaggy locks, the problem, then, was that no one in the Strike Force was brave enough to be responsible for the child’s hair either. It seemed that everyone, even without saying it aloud, did not want to risk receiving a potential danger of the Emperor’s wrathful lecture in case they failed. No one but Byleth, of course. However, for some reason, no one agreed to let her do so either. Instead, they ended up asking Bernadetta, who had the most artistic mind among them, to pick up the scissor and change the child’s look as much to the timid woman’s disagreement and fear of disappointing everyone. Even though Byleth thought that the matter had resolved, it seemed that everyone’s disapproval of her offer still lingered in their minds. Ever since Byleth had come into Bernadetta’s room this morning and picked up a scissor for only a second just to examine the tool casually, Dorothea snatched it away and pushed her to the farthest corner in an instant. And then, no one allowed her to be near Elos ever. Even she was strangely treated so, she did not think much of it nor felt offended in the slightest. After all, she was too excited to know what hairstyle Bernadetta would choose for the little girl anyway. 

However, for a long moment, everyone tried their best to encourage the tense, upset woman while Lysithea halted any movement Linhardt’s lip made with her constant glare. As there was no sign of Bernadetta to recover, the crew’s encouragement started to escalate into another frenzied bickering between them. Despite the lack of harsh and sharp words presented, as usual, it could not be denied that this small fight could potentially continue forever, which was a typical prolonged period of time they often took ever since the Academy days. Thus, based on her evaluation of the situation, Byleth silently concluded that an alternative plan was necessary. At the same time that she had ended her trail of thought, suddenly, a sudden, short snipping sound brought everyone’s attention to Byleth who sneaked her way past everyone amidst the havoc and managed to cut a chunk of the shaggy snow-white strand out with her dagger. After a momentary silence as the amethyst eyes innocently blinked at the falling strand of her hair and backed up to the cobalt eyes curiously, Dorothea’s voice that was fairly closed to be an agony scream soared above the silence and pierced into Byleth’s ears.

“Stop her!” 

In that instant, a chaos that was even more chaotic than previously sprung up once again as everyone, even the sleepy Linhardt and the shocked Bernadetta, frantically tried to pry the dagger away from the calloused hand and away from the shaggy snow-white locks altogether. As if gaining a surge of alarming instinct, Bernadetta quickly grabbed the scissor tight and let her hands dance over the long shaggy snow-white locks. After a few moments later, the shaggy snow-white locks were no more, leaving only with a girl and her untamed, sliced neck-length snow-white hair. On the front, the thin slice of bangs was arranged side-way not to obscure the amethyst’s sight. At the back, the short length hair was adorned with a small, fishtail braid made by Petra as a finishing touch and a prospering of the exceeded strand behind her. Overall, it was a much shorter and mannerly style than her initial wild, shaggy locks. A very adorable style, Byleth silently thought.

Gradually stepping down from the stool, the amethyst eyes grew brighter the more steps she took as the feeling of a dense, bulky weight on her head had now disappeared into a pile of snow-white rugs on the floor. A few moments of wonderment in the amethyst eyes had passed, while the adults in the room stole a moment to release their holding breath, Elos started to walk around with awe evident on her face as if she felt astonished by her new hair and the new weight upon her body. And soon after, she ran and ran as if she had never run like this before in her life, earning slight bafflement from everyone in the process. Regardless, she continued running and jumping with the glowing light of the star within her eyes and the teddy bear that danced alongside her until she eventually abruptly stopped before Byleth.

Elos looked up to meet the calm cobalt eyes before she blurted out with the brightest sound Byleth ever heard from the girl, “Byled, Byled! Look!” 

Upon hearing so, the corner of Byleth’s lip pulled up into a fond smile at the girl before she responded with a warm tone that tinted with relief, “Yes, Elos. You like it?”

Elos enthusiastically nodded before she touched her hair as she spoke up again with a small spring underneath her toes, causing the limp teddy bear to wiggle up and down along the child’s action, “By, look! By, look!”

Hearing that the girl had to shorten her name so, it clearly signaled that she really liked the new hair and was too excited even to maintain her speech. Thus, Byleth could not help but faintly giggled before she replied with a voice that hinted with equal excitement, “Yes, yes. I’m looking. You like it, and I like it too.”

As soon as she said her approval of the new hairstyle, Elos then sprinted off with a chuckle of her own and ran around once again as if she did not know how to release her unknown feelings besides turning them into energy for running and jumping. Nonetheless, the sight prompted a smile on everyone’s faces and a deep, relieved sigh from Bernadetta before she collapsed on the floor, seemingly to be too exhausted with the mental pressure she just experienced a few moments ago. Though, it seemed that the girl’s excitement affected everyone differently, especially Caspar. The sky blue hair man appeared to have an urge to share the burst of energy from the little girl with an equal explosion of his own. Thus, without permission from the owner of the room, he delightedly ran after Elos and roared vigorously to accompany the child’s quiet enjoyment, paying no mind to the fact that he was still within the limited, confined room. They ran in a circle after one another for a few beats while inevitably earning a few sighs and groans from the rest of the crew until Elos abruptly stopped, causing Caspar to slightly stumble forward before he, too, stopped his movement. Before Caspar and everyone could be puzzled by the girl’s sudden change of action, the amethyst eyes quickly whipped back to the blue sky pair behind her and maintained her eye contact with his, staring at him as if she was talking to him. After Caspar raised his eyebrow in deeper confusion for the strangely communicative, yet hinted with a cautious, stare, he was about to take a step closer when, suddenly, Elos started moving again. But her movement immediately halted as the surprise automatically stopped the man. Knitting his eyebrow together in grave confusion, Caspar tried taking a step once again to see what would happen. And without a surprise, the girl did the same, only moving when he moved and only stopping when he stopped. After a long silence of the piercing staring between them, trying to read one another’s mind, finally, a grin gradually appeared on the man’s face before his loud voice full of energy and excitement startled everyone in the room.

“You wanna play? Then let’s play!”

As his words vibrated throughout the confined room, Caspar ran at full speed toward Elos, intending to catch the child. Simultaneously, the girl sprinted off with her bare feet and lighter frame along with her teddy bear, which was cringed tight to the girl as if it was afraid of falling away. All the while, the strenuous roar was getting closer and closer as well as louder and louder.

“I’ll catch ya, ya naughty little princess!”

The starry amethyst eyes glanced back at the man before the radiant giggling started to reveal themselves upon her lip once again. Despite the sweet melodious chuckle that was inevitably drowned under the much joyful shout, the small sound could never leave undetected by Byleth’s sharp ears, allowing it to adorned her face with a broader smile in the process. While they ran after one another, Byleth also noticed that, besides her, the others were also silently watching the energetic pair with a warm smile as if the man’s and the girl’s positive energy was leaking into everyone’s heart. A warmth that everyone always fond of, especially Byleth.

With a brief thought came into her mind, Byleth shifted her attention to the violet locks not far from her before she spoke up with a grateful smile, “Thank you, Bernadetta. She really likes it.”

Upon hearing so, a tint of pink slowly appeared across Bernadetta’s face before she sheepishly fidgeted her violet stand as she smiled and chuckled bashfully under her breath. While the others started to compliment the woman’s skill with kind and a few apologetic words, especially from Lysithea and Felix, Byleth turned back to the rowdy man who was trying his best to catch the light-footed girl. Not long after, however, Caspar successfully grabbed the girl as she was mischievously jumping down from the soft bed, where she had been using as a safe harbor from the surprisingly well-mannered man who refused to climb over it. Within a beat and a brief cackle later, the man quickly ran away from Elos before the girl could recover from her interrupted movement. It was then when the bright amethyst eyes and the radiant smile shifted to Byleth in the same way that a child had spotted a new toy to play with. Thus, instead of resuming her chase after the man as the messy blue locks thought, Elos, with her beaming smile, ran toward her and stopped before the slightly baffled Byleth. 

Thinking that she might want something, Byleth bent down slightly to meet the starry amethyst eyes and asked, “Hey, k-”

Suddenly, the small scarred hand gently, albeit swiftly placed over Byleth’s lip and halted her words before the sweet voice full of life and energy declared with a confident tone, “By, ‘It!’”

Without waiting for Byleth to respond, Elos immediately ran off and left the navy blue locks with only bafflement on her stoic face. After a moment later, Byleth slowly straightened up as she turned back to the confused crowd around her.

“So...I’m an ‘it’ now. What should I do?”

While the others were at the loss of words and only shared brief, losing looks with one another, Lindhardt simply spoke up among them, “Easy. You just have to tag anyone and let them be ‘it’ instead.”

As Byleth faintly hummed in a cunning acknowledgment, her sharp cobalt eyes slowly glanced over everyone around her, just like the way a predator chose its prey. Getting a small glimpse of what the messy blue locks was thinking, Felix quickly warned her with a slight scowl, “Stop. Don’t even think about it. I’m not playing this stupid childish game with you.”

Unknown to him, his words were exactly why the refined cobalt eyes maintained their stare on the man as she finally targeted her mark. And so, slowly approaching Felix, Byleth raised her hand and casually placed it over the broad shoulder as she said, “Sure. But now you are ‘it’ though.” 

After successfully replacing the scowling face with a surprise, disbelief one, Byleth sprinted out to regroup with the waiting Caspar and Elos who were jumping up and down together as if they could not wait for the game to resume. For Felix, however, things were not looking good. When the surprised face mixed with annoyance turned toward the others with his lip cracking open as if he was about to grumble, he realized that everyone around him was quietly starting to sneak away and created a distance from him. 

As he sent a glare toward Sylvain, the man flicked a tad bit before he frantically excused and gradually stepped further away, “Um. Well. You are ‘it,’ right? I happened to hear from children that if you are ‘it,’ you can smell pretty bad. And that won’t do me good when I have a date with ladies, so…”

Right after he finished his words, Sylvian sprinted off, earning a yell from Felix in the process, “Oi! Come back! Are you saying I’m stinky?”

As the man turned toward the rest of the Strike Force, it was the same time that Bernadetta and Lysithea tried to hide behind the human-sized bear stuff and the colorful canvas, Petra bridal carried Dorothea away, and Linhardt was nowhere to be found. The sight seemed to accidentally cut the last string of logic within Felix’s mind as he furiously stomped his feet against the floor before the passing servants outside the room could even hear his grumpy shout.

“All of you! Come back here!”

In the end, Felix earnestly chased after everyone, and inevitably finding himself officially began the stupid childish game, as he put it, with the Strike Force. That day, it was told by the servants and guards that their lively laughter and the dull, rapid thud of steps resonated around the palace and could be heard faintly even within the conference room where the Emperor along with the Minister of the Imperial Household and the Prime Minister were having a diplomatic meeting at the time. From afar, the vibrant sound of glee frankly resembled the sound of children playing in the plaza to the point that the guards within the conference room were thinking of marching toward the source of the sound and put an end to the distraction. Nonetheless, no one came to stop them. Not that they were allowed to ruin this nostalgic reverberation anyway. After all, despite the fact that 5 long years had passed, everyone in the Strike Force still had that one child of their own deeply resigned inside their hearts. Unfortunately, letting these children go wild and relishing themselves under the peaceful air was not possible due to their responsibility and the upcoming war. Not until now, it seemed. While there would be a tough, silent war waiting ahead, for now, Byleth was glad that her former students, those who never had a chance to be a child they truly were, could have the opportunity to let themselves go, just for a tad bit. Besides, it was such a refreshing sensation that Byleth found herself instantly fond of as well.

The childish laughter continued for quite a long time before Byleth could feel her breath become shallow and brief. Thus, gradually, Byleth pried herself away from the lively group and paused her legs to gasp for air on the sideline as she overlooked her friends chasing each other enthusiastically with a rare innocent smile on their faces. After a few beats of a small break for her breath to recover, suddenly, a melodious voice hinted with a dry, breathless edge emerged beside her along with the charming face that was now adorned with a few droplets of light sweat.

“I can’t believe we only have a few days with her before she flies away to her new family.” 

Looking at the woman with the corner of her eyes, Byleth could see the emerald pair dimmed down with a hint of sorrow in them as they gazed toward the smiling child among the lively adults. After turning her calm cobalt eyes to the songstress, Byleth responded to Dorothea’s melancholic tone with a confused voice, “But we are still waiting for their confirmation letter.”

Dorothea sighed deeply both to steady her breath and to respond to Byleth’s words before she shifted her face that was now adorned with a frown closer to the messy blue locks as if to emphasize the weight of her words. “They already said they wanted to adopt her, right? I doubt they will change their mind. Not with how adorable Elos is. More importantly, are you sure about this, Byleth?”

“What do you mean?” Byleth tilted her head slightly to the side as she was not sure what Dorothea’s question meant.

Upon hearing so, Dorothea released another long sigh yet again before she elaborated on her words with a deeper frown and a more gentle voice, “Well, you know. Elos. And this adoption into another family thing. Do you want it this way?”

The cobalt eyes briefly flashed with comprehension before Byleth inclined her head slightly and said, “Of course. Edelgard said it’s the best for her.”

“You still haven’t answered my question,” Dorothea slumped her shoulder while murmuring under her breath as if talking to herself before she raised her voice for Byleth to hear above the laughter and continued with a casual tone, “At any rate, can I ask you to bring her to the orphanage? I’m sure those kids would want to say goodbye to their princess before she goes.”

Considering the songstress’s words silently, Byleth thought that she might have a point. For the past moons since the first time they brought Elos to the city’s central plaza, Byleth and Edelgard would occasionally set aside some free time to visit the city and made sure to spend more time at the orphanage. Ever since they witnessed how playing with other children could potentially stir up sparkles inside the girl, both of them decided that they should provide more opportunities for Elos to connect with her friends more. And the orphanage seemed to be an excellent place for her to do so. Besides, the children, who lost their family from the war or those who were unwanted, would always love to have a visitor from time to time as Dorothea who, along with Manuela, Mercedes, and, apparently, Jeritza, always went to take care of the children, had told Byleth and Edelgard. Not to mention that it was the orphanage where Ike and Mist, the two children who seemed really eager to play with Elos, were living in. Even though Byleth and Edelgard did not have much free time to take Elos to meet them so often, each time they went, those children would always welcome the strange little girl with a friendly smile and a burst of warm laughter. Now that Elos was going to be away from Enbarr, it might be better to bring her to meet the little girl’s friends and allow them to bid their farewell for the last time. Assuming that the family would confirm their will to adopt the girl, that was.

After she concluded her thought silently, Byleth returned the waiting emerald eyes with a determined nod and a promise hinted in her eyes, prompting a subtle smile to reclaim its place on the beautiful face once again. Suddenly, at the corner of her cobalt eyes, Byleth saw the short snow-white locks, and its tiny tail rushed past her toward Dorothea, followed closely by the sweet, excited giggles. 

“Doro ‘it’!” 

Upon the end of the bright declaration, the widened emerald eyes quickly followed the source of the sound only to greet with the scarred hand that was grabbing around her delicate fingers before the small child ran away with a radiant smile and a colorful chuckle. And so, shifting her facade into her usual mischievous one, Dorothea spoke up after the little child with a voice that could be heard by everyone in the room, “I’ll give you five seconds to run, little princess!” 

As the bare feet began picking up speed right after, Dorothea shouted the counting down numbers only to immediately run after Elos as soon as she uttered ‘four!’ Even so, the unexpected tactic of the songstress only prompted a little louder chuckle from the child with a few more complaints emerging from the rest of the Strike Force instead. And soon, they resumed their play within the confined room with the resonating laughter and joys. All the while, the pensive cobalt eyes silently watched them from afar as her mind was never wandering away from Dorothea’s words. 

“What...I want…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Did you enjoy it? I know it's only like...one sequence, but I really couldn't write more than this at the moment.  
> I'm not gonna lie, but writing the Begles with their chaotic energy is really fun. I wished I could fully enjoy it without having to think about my uni stuffs 24/7....  
> I really love them.  
> That said, my uni is still a hectic right now, that's why I decided to post this one first to update with you lovelies rather than waiting until I was done with everything.  
> It was really difficult for me to find sometimes to write at all. So! from now on, there will be no schedule for me to post things. I'll just take my time.  
> More importantly, as I read the outline I have for the future chapters, I noticed that I might need more time for a small research and more details I wanted to add in each chapter until the end. That's the main reason why I think I should take it easy and write at my own pace instead of rushing things out. As we approach the end, many things will have to take into consideration. So there will be lots of small details I need my mind to focus.  
> ....Anyway, that's all for now. Don't forget to take care of yourself and stay safe!  
> Until next time! 
> 
> Fun fact:  
> \- Bernie has a very big life-sized teddy bear in her room, and she hugs it every time when she needs to scream after embarrassing herself fer the day.  
> \- Edelgard knows about Bernie's big bear too, but she is too embarrassed and too busy to ask Bernie to make her one.  
> \- Never left Byleth near a scissor or a dagger or a knife or anything that can be used to cut hair.  
> \- Having a very long, long hair could add a weight to your body as much as 2.5 kg or 5 pounds.  
> \- Elos’s hair is slightly based on this with a fish-tail braid that looks similar to Jeralt's one at the back! https://www.reddit.com/r/fireemblem/comments/cdhla5/redesigned_fbyleth_for_fun/


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Song track: Dearly Beloved - Kingdom Hearts II OST

As the new morning came, Byleth followed her promise and led Elos into the busy city during its prime time of the late morning. And their destination was, of course, the orphanage where Byleth intended to drop the child off to play with her peers for the day. There was no telling if the new family would bring Elos back to meet her friends, after all. After taking a few long walks under the warm, refreshing sun, finally, the cobalt eyes could see the glimpse of the newly renovated building with a crowd of children gathering in front of the wide-opened door into the orphanage. It seemed that they just finished their breakfast as a few older children were distributing a piece of small bread for the younger ones to conclude the meal with. After the little ones got their snacks, each of them ran off to enjoy the soft grass and dirt of the big lawn that was recently granted by the Emperor, along with the main building’s reform. The cluster of lively laughter and relaxing small talk lightened up everyone passing by the establishment, including Byleth, who was approaching closer with the small scarred hand in hers. As soon as Byleth and Elos were within the children’s sight, a few children waved at them as they greeted them with a wide smile and a boisterous call as always.

“Princess!”

“Good morning, Your excellency!”

“Welcome!”

While some of them remained where they were, some excitedly jogged toward Byleth with the energy the woman could never be accustomed to, no matter how many times she came here. It could be just because Byleth would personally prefer a subtle child, like Elos, more than others, or it could be because she was simply too old to match herself with children’s endless energy, as Edelgard had put it. Nonetheless, she had to admit that children’s lively personality did offer her a refreshing joy she never experienced, especially before her heart was alive. 

“Are you here to play with us?”

Upon hearing the familiar, confident voice, Byleth diverted her attention to the short blue hair boy, Ike, who looked up to her with anticipation flashed in his eyes. Since the first time she met him at the Enbarr plaza, it seemed that the boy had gained some noticeable change over the few moons, such as his height or his body frame. The children’s growth rate always amazed Byleth of how quickly children can change from a small young one into a taller, stronger one. And soon, they would become a grown adult with great strength. That said, she always wondered why Elos did not grow taller at all during these past moons since they met. Perhaps each child had a different pace, she suspected. Besides, if Manuela did not say anything, then it might be normal.

Bringing herself out of her own thoughts, Byleth replied to the young boy as she immediately went straight to the point. “No, sorry. I have to bring your Princess somewhere soon. To meet her new family. And Dorothea thought you all might want to say goodbye to her before then.”

The instant that her answer went through her lip, there was a buzz and babble among the children around her. Some had a surprised look on their faces, some had a frown, and some had a wide smile. Suddenly, Ike’s surprised voice soared above any fuss and directed at her.

“So she got adopted?”

Before Byleth could answer the boy’s question, however, other children started overwhelming her with their questions that ranged from a usual one full of curiosity to one full of excitement to one full of sadness. Some just expressed their congrats both at her and the confusing snow-white locks beside her. 

“Why? I thought Princess was the Emperor’s child?”

“She will have a real family now? That’s so good!”

“She won’t come here again?”

“Good for her. Now she can eat anything she wants.”

“Wow. She will have so many clothes to wear now, right?”

“Princess, promise me you won’t forget us!”

“So you give her away?”

“Congratulations, Princess!”

“Why would you give her away?”

“You don’t love her?” 

This one question, like a wild thunder during the stormy night, struck Byleth’s mind the second it passed Mist’s, Ike’s younger sister, frown lip. Its words cut through all other noises despite its low voice. Byleth felt like she was forced to focus only on Mist while her mind intuitively excluded other children from her senses. Within a slight second that the girl’s question finally registered in Byleth’s mind in full, her lip snapped open on its own.

“Of course not. She’s a good girl, and I-”

At that moment, Byleth was not sure why she slipped those words out or why she could not finish her sentence at all. What was she going to say anyway? ‘Love’? That ‘I love her’? What kind of love? For sure, it was not like how she loved Edelgard. At least it felt different. But the feeling is too much to be called the same love for a friend as she had for the Strike Force. The love for the lover and the love for her friends. Those were the only two kinds Edelgard had explained to her when she was having trouble differentiating the warm, fuzzy feeling within her heart. Are there other kinds Edelgard had not yet told her?

As Byleth internally concluded that she would never know what was happening with herself unless she asked Edelgard, she decided to let it pass and handle the confused, anticipated group of children in front of her for now. “Well. Anyway, I’m sure she will be happy with her new family. That aside, don’t you all want to play with her and say goodbye before we go?”

As soon as Byleth pointed out, a rowdy fuss and buzz returned before each of the children scattered towards Elos and prepared their fun activities for the day. Though, it seemed that Elos still lost on what happened as her amethyst eyes were full of confusion. Nonetheless, she followed her peers and joined them with a small smile of hers. While the lively laughter resumed, Byleth silently watched the energetic children from afar as her mind repeated Mist’s question over and over again, failing to find the right answer to it. The more she spent time with Elos over these few moons, the more unanswered questions she had about herself. It was quite a strange experience, she must admit. Though at the same time, most of the times she spent with the peculiar, quiet girl were not unwelcome at all. She might actually cherish some of them closed to her heart, even. Even so, Byleth just hoped that by the time Elos would be with her new family, her remaining questions could all be answered. Somehow. Someway.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the sun and moon came by and passed along, it was almost a week later since Byleth brought Elos to the orphanage. Even though the time was counting down with the passing days, Byleth and Edelgard spent their time with the little child just like they always did. And today was the same. As the sun above painted its radiant orange arrays across the horizon, the slightly cold breeze of the dusk leisurely blew against the broad back and the smaller one sitting nearby on the creaking dock. While the preoccupied cobalt eyes gazed upon the swaying reflective surface, a faint splash diverted Byleth’s attention to the small creature above the disturbing current. Looking toward the source of the sudden sound, Byleth could see the small ripples harshly shifting left and right underneath the water. And its movement was bound by the thin line of the small rod that belonged to the little girl beside her. The ripple then broke into a small fish with its scales shining brightly against the orange sun as it soared through the air, trying to break free from its doom. After tirelessly struggling for its life, the small fish finally gave in and was pulled closer to Elos. When the little fish was finally within the girl’s grasp, Elos looked up with her bright amethyst eyes toward Byleth as if she was waiting for something.

Knowing what Elos was trying to convey, Byleth faintly smiled and said, “That’s a good catch, Elos. Great job.”

Elos brightened up upon hearing the praise before Byleth continued, “But this one seems to be a small fish. Like you. Don’t you think we should let it go have fun for now until it grows up into a big fish?”

The light on the child’s face immediately dimmed down as she heard the woman said. Nonetheless, after staring quietly at the waggling fish for a moment, Elos gradually leaned forward and carefully dropped down the small creatures back into the water below the old dock. Seeing so, Byleth slightly widened her smile as she gently placed her calloused hand onto the short, messy snow-white locks. 

“Good girl.” 

Upon receiving the tender words and the soft touch on her head, Elos tilted up to meet the caring cobalt pair as her face lit up once again with a subtle smile and radiant eyes. As if wanting for more warmth, Elos retrieved her armored bear that was leaning against the half-full bucket and crawled closer into Byleth before she settled herself on the broad, protective lap. After a few moments within her comfortable spot, the amethyst eyes relaxingly gazed ahead and landed at the end of the thin line that was floating peacefully upon the serene surface of the bright reddish water. And so, together, Byleth and Elos resumed their comfortable silence as they waited for the next fish that hopefully would be big enough to be their supper. After her surroundings had returned to a peaceful current once again, Byleth’s mind started to wander. Since the day she brought Elos to the orphanage, that girl’s question still stuck in her mind. In fact, no matter how much she tried to direct her mind onto other things, Byleth always found herself wandering back to that one particular question over and over again. 

“Is it love or...”

Elos, whose eyes just started to fill with drowsiness through the mercy evening wind, slowly looked up to the distant face as the woman slipped her mind out loud. Before Byleth could retract her unthinking words, the small lip slowly cracked open and interrupted her with a quiet, albeit sweet, voice.

“Elos...love...Byled...”

The slurred words prompted the corner of Byleth’s lip to curve upward as the soft cobalt eyes looked down to the drowsy eyes below. She was quite sure that the girl did not even understand the concept of love yet. But even so, those three words somehow felt so pure that Byleth could not believe otherwise. 

Feeling a tad bit curious, Byleth asked with an unseriousness hinted under her breath, “Really? Do you know...what kind of love that is?”

After her half-serious question dissipated into the evening breeze, the only answer Byleth got was the slow blink and the big yawn from the little girl on her lap. A moment later, however, Elos’s lip moved to form voiceless words as she slowly drifted into a realm of dream, using Byleth’s chest as her pillow. Byleth, seeing so, sighed faintly and decided to let the girl sleep undisturbed. Now that she thought about it, it was quite fascinating to see the child, who used to be up all night and would sleep soundly only if there was her lullaby and Edelgard’s warmth, now could drift off almost wherever and whenever she ran out of energy. As long as Byleth or Edelgard was near her, that was. Byleth had no doubt that, soon, the girl would be able to sleep on her own. Such advancing progress would be helpful for when Elos must leave their sides. More importantly, it would substantially ease Edelgard’s and her concerns of the little girl’s sleep habit in a strange place and, in the case if she was adopted for real, with a stranger.

While the gentle cobalt eyes were lost in the peaceful face of the sleeping child, suddenly, a distant crack followed by a footstep on the soft dirt reached her ears. Within a second, the broad shoulders tensed up as the calloused hand loosely enveloped the small frame protectively. However, a faint scent of the floral and bergamot tackled Byleth’s nose, the closer the mysterious person was. By the time that the scent was distinct enough to give her a sense of familiarity, Byleth loosened her guard and let the person slowly lower down onto the old dock with a creaking sound. After feeling the familiar warmth pressing firmly against her back, Byleth noticed that the person’s shoulders were full of stiffness, as she always noticed while they were within the conference room.

Sensing that something was wrong within the warm body behind her, Byleth softly greeted as she leaned herself relaxingly against the other’s weight, “Hi, El.” 

Despite a brief delay in the response, Edelgard replied with a slightly distant voice, “Hello, my love.”

Upon the end of the brief exchange, a silence fell between them. A strange, dull silence that was such a stark contrast from the comfortable one they always shared. A moment passed before Byleth decided to take the lead, hoping to urge her lover to speak her mind and relinquish the burden on her delicate shoulders. 

“Something happened?” 

Once again, as if she was having an internal debate over what she would say, Edelgard paused for a few seconds before she replied with a voice that barely above a whisper, “Nothing.”

Such a response implied to Byleth that something was definitely wrong. Even so, she did not push the matter further and instead waited patiently for Edelgard to willingly share her thoughts. If it was an urgent matter, the Emperor would have told her by now. Nonetheless, Byleth gently rested her head on the crowned one behind her and let the navy blue strand mingled with the snow-white locks, silently comforting her lover. All the while, Byleth closed her eyes and let her senses dance around the nature surrounding her. It was such a tranquil, fascinating sensation where the rustling woods, the whistling wind, and the rippling water were all in synchronous with the steady rhythm of the small chest on her lap. She just hoped that this peaceful moment in time could soothe whatever was on Edelgard’s mind somehow.

It was several moments later when Edelgard eventually spoke up again with a tad bit more strength in her voice, “can I just stay with you here?” 

Opening her eyes and turning her head to look back at her beloved, Byleth answered with a fond smile, “As long as you want to.” 

With that, Edelgard shifted herself to sit beside Byleth before she rested her crowned head on the broad shoulders and wrapped her arms loosely around the cursive waist, distantly watching the ripple on the water’s radiant surface. At this angle, it was difficult for Byleth to see Edelgard’s face entirely. But even so, she could somehow sense the expression her lover was having right now. Thus, she tried to comfort her as much as she could by lightly patting the crimson gloved hands around her waist while holding a rod in her other hand. They sat like that for a long while, feeling content with the presence of one another. As Byleth slightly tilted her head against the snow-white locks and moved her hand to play with the soft snow-white strand, she noticed the pensive lilac eyes fixated on the sleeping Elos on her lap. A few moments later, Edelgard raised her hand to pat lightly on Elos’s head, prompting the little girl to stir up slightly before she grabbed the crimson gloved hand to snuggle against it instead of her bear. All the while, the little girl nuzzled further into Byleth’s lap and curled up into a small ball, falling deep in the sweet dream. Byleth could see how the lilac eyes softened at the sight as another crimson gloved hand moved to tug the little one’s snow-white strand up. However, the stubborn strand fell back down right away, refusing to surrender its messy nature and being tugged away. The wild nature of the strand might have stirred something inside Edelgard as it left the crimson gloved hand hung aimlessly over the messy snow-white locks. It was as if Edelgard was deep in her trail of thoughts.

Eventually, a few moments later, her lip cracked open as Edelgard uttered with a voice that only slightly louder than a whisper, albeit with such a weight equate to a great boulder, “I just received a confirmation letter from the family who will adopt Elos.”

Upon hearing the news, Byleth slowly looked at her lover, trying not to wake the little girl up and not disturb her beloved’s comfortable position, before she plainly asked with no real question hinted in her tone, “They did?”

Edelgard nodded. 

“Are they good?”

Edelgard nodded again as she added, “Hubert and I had checked their history and living condition. In fact, they are quite a lovely household that might suit Elos well.” 

Byleth hummed along as an acknowledgment before the dim silence fell over them once again. All the while, Byleth was lost in her thoughts as she contemplated what Edelgard had said and how she should feel. At first, Byleth thought she would be happier to hear the news than what she felt right now. She thought her chest would fill with warmth and relief, but now it was strangely empty. It was as if she did not feel anything at all upon knowing that Elos was finally adopted, or rather, she did not know how to feel about it. As she concluded, the pensive cobalt eyes glanced over Edelgard beside her, wanting to see how her lover reacted. But it was then when Byleth realized something.

Thus, after silently thinking over every possible word she should say, Byleth softly asked with uncertainty and concern evident in her tone, “Then why it’s like you are..not happy, El?”

There was no answer from Edelgard right away as if she was trying to find the answer herself until a moment later that she quietly responded, “I don’t know, Byleth...I don’t know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I'm so sorry for the unofficial hiatus. To put it simply, 2020 is being so mean to me, especially these last two months. Lots of stressful events on top of my uni and the part-time I used to have (yup, not anymore though). The most relevant one is that my laptop is broken, and I 'temporarily' lost all the outlines of this story with it. So I kinda have to come up from zero for this chapter since the repair guy said I might not get it until early January.  
> The thing is, I could definitely start each chapter anew just like this one, but then the next chapter and the next next one are like a milestone of the story. So I would prefer to wait for my outlines which I spent months and months to develop rather than trying to recreate them within a week or two and miss some details. I hope everyone can understand that the next chapter might not be so soon. I'm sorry for that.  
> But I still hope that you are looking forward to the next chapter.  
> And more importantly, I just hope that Byleth, who just started to learn about all different kinds of feelings, and Edelgard, who had her feelings suppressed for so long that it might be difficult for her to get a hold of them again, will realize something soon.  
> With that, thank you for reading and please stay safe out there!
> 
> Fun fact:  
> \- Children are so pure and innocent that sometimes they just ask or say something that is too simple for the adult’s mind to aware with an innocent smile of theirs.  
> \- Why? Well. One explanation of many interpretations is this. Adults tend to have this bias called functional fixedness which can limit our creativity and the method for problem-solving. It’s the bias that kind of prevent us to ‘think outside of the box.’ Throughout the experience with the world, we kinda unconsciously narrowed down our way of thinking through things. Like 'everything has to have a meaning.' But for children who are learning about the world? Yeah, there's not much of the 'box' around their thoughts. Whenever you are stuck with something, you might try asking children and something might come into your mind. Maybe the answer you are looking for is just too simple for you to realize, that's all.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Song Track: Hello, shooting-star - moumoon アコースティックVer. (Acoustic Ver.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright. This chapter took me waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay longer than I expected.  
> I kept changing things here and there, and in the end, it took me almost a month to finish it.  
> I'm sorry about the long wait. But this chapter will be longer than any of the previous chapter, so I hope that is worth the wait.  
> ANYHOW, I hope you enjoy this chapter!  
> (Ps. I added one additional tag.)

The flow of time drifted away into the void of nothing, just like the gold sand smoothly trickled through the narrow path of the hourglass, following the gravity and waiting for no one. When Edelgard realized of the passing sun and moon, Byleth and her, along with Elos, were already inside the Adrestian royal coach, heading toward a small town within the Hresvelg territory. Today was the adoption day—the day when Elos would meet her adoptive family for the first time. The day when, if everything went well, she would move to her forever home. And it would also be the day when Edelgard and Byleth had to say goodbye to the little girl. 

As the two majestic horses diligently hauled the royal carriage through the tranquil sea of colorful flowers and fresh meadow, Edelgard’s mind wandered back to the past several moons since the first day she met the mysterious child amidst the battlefield. While her mind recalled the skinny, smudged child with the eyes of dark and emptiness, right now, at this moment in time, her eyes could only see the healthy, lively child with eyes full of light and richness. Such a stark contrast between the disparities between what her mind and eyes saw made Edelgard wonder if everything that happened up until now was real— if she truly did enough for the little child whose childhood time was robbed away. While her mind drifted away further and further, the lilac eyes quietly noticed the little girl with her short and messy snow-white locks enthusiastically springing on her toes to watch the colorful scenario outside the clear window. Strangely, the sight could somehow cease the tiny dark voice at the back of Edelgard’s mind, replacing them with a gentle, radiant warmth instead. The warmth in her chest was gradually creeping onto her face the longer the lilac eyes stayed upon the unusual delighted girl with, surprisingly, her proper shoes. Eventually, Edelgard could never resist the urge to curl up the corner of her lip into a genuine smile the second her eyes landed on the scowling Byleth, who was trying her best to braid the wild, messy snow-white hair of the excited little girl and miserably, albeit not unexpectedly, failed. 

“By, look.”

Byleth, without looking up from the tangle ball of hair in her hands, replied absently and faintly as her occupied cobalt eyes focused her attention on her braiding skill, “Yes, I’m looking, Kid…”

When Edelgard shook her head slightly at the deepened minglings on Byleth’s forehead along with the tingled, messy hair in the calloused hands, Elos turned away from the window to pat lightly on Byleth’s cheek, earning the confused cobalt eyes in the process. After tapping her teddy bear’s soft paw against the window, Elos tried again with more strength in her voice. “Look. El.”

As if the calling words finally piqued Byleth’s interest, the cobalt eyes looked toward the little girl’s direction through the crystal clear window. Feeling curious about what Elos was trying to convey, Edelgard silently followed their line of sight as well. The second that the scene outside the carriage was in her periphery, the lilac eyes slightly went wider as they met with the sea of gentle crimson and the swirl of red petals that floated along the breeze of the vast empty area. It was, indeed, such a rare natural scene that could never be found within the busy city of Enbarr. Thus, it was no doubt why the scene could securely capture the little girl’s attention, considering this might be the first time Elos had seen this stunning scene, after all. 

While Edelgard enjoyed the captivating scenery, she heard Byleth softly explain to the little girl with a nostalgic tone, “Ah. Those are roses. It’s red like El, but that’s not her favorite flower, Elos. Believe me, I made that mistake before. It’s actually...” Byleth trailed off and paused her words before a realization flashed on her face. She then delicately reached into the hidden pocket within her peculiar cape and took out a full-bloom carnation. As she showed the crimson flower to the curious amethyst eyes, she continued, “El loves carnations. Like this one. They look more delicate than roses.”

The curious amethyst eyes then responded with a few silent blinks while examining the lone carnation in the calloused hand. After the little girl seemed to finish processing the new information, she curtly nodded with a flash of light in the amethyst eyes, prompting a smile on both Edelgard and Byleth in the process.

Just when it looked like Byleth had finished her small lesson, Edelgard chimed in with a teasing remark hinted behind her words, “Now I’m wondering if you always walk around with a carnation hiding inside your cape like that, my love.”

A bright chuckle went through Byleth’s lip before she turned toward Edelgard with a subtle smile that always lightened up her chest and replied, “I wish El. I just picked this one from the greenhouse before we left and forgot to give it to you.”

Upon finishing her words, Byleth handed the carnation to her, and of course, Edelgard received it with care. “Thank you, Byleth. It’s lovely.” She paused for a bit to admire the delicate petals before she leaned forward to plant a light kiss on Byleth’s cheek. A small, albeit passionate, gesture of gratitude that she always did when her lover brought her a flower. 

When Byleth’s smile slightly widened with fondness, Edelgard visibly gazed toward the tangling strands on Elos and continued with a mischievous tone and a small smirk, “And it’s alright. I know exactly why you forgot about this beautiful flower.” 

With that, the smile was quickly replaced by the sheepish, dry one as Byleth awkwardly rubbed her nape before she shifted slightly to create a space for Edelgard, letting her take charge of the task instead. The yielding action prompted Edelgard to faintly giggle for a few beats before she handed the carnation to Elos to explore and shifted to space beside Byleth. Without further ado, Edelgard danced her elegant fingers along the messy snow-white strands, gently taming them into a flawless braid. All the while, the amethyst eyes silently stole a glance over her small shoulder with a bright light before, a while later, they hesitantly shifted to the carnation in her small hands.

By the time that Edelgard finished her final touch with a small red ribbon tied to the fishtail braid, Byleth curiously asked with her sharp cobalt eyes fixated upon the finished art on the little girl, “By the way, who are we going to see again?”

Turning toward her beloved, Edelgard casually replied as she received the carnation that Elos handed back to her with a small thank you, “House of Askr. According to Hubert, the head noble of the house volunteered himself to be a soldier at the front line, leaving behind his widowed wife and his two children in the end. While I know the late husband’s name well, I never knew nor met his family before.”

Byleth hummed along with Edelgard’s elaboration as her pensive cobalt eyes silently observed the eager girl before, a moment later, she noted with a slightly concerned tone, “How do you know if they want to adopt her with no other plan in mind?”

“That’s why I insist on meeting them in person before we permit them the consent to adopt her, my love. If this family only asked for Elos solely because they wanted my attention or wanted something in return, then I will immediately retract the application,” Edelgard quickly replied within a beat and reassured Byleth’s worries with a resolved voice of the stern Emperor. 

Upon revealing her true intention of this visit, the contemplative cobalt eyes maintained their sight on the Emperor for a few beats as if seeking for something. After they seemed to found what they were looking for, or rather, came to a conclusion, Byleth slightly inclined her head toward Edelgard as if in agreement before she was led to the radiant amethyst eyes by the excited tug at her cape’s sleeve. And since then, the journey was blessed with the comfortable silence with an occasional clarification Byleth made to the child who enjoyed the colorful world outside with her dazzling amethyst eyes. All the while, the fond lilac eyes quietly watched the interaction between them as the scene through the window shifted from one color to another—like her mind that shifted from one concern to another concern. The concerns that, unsurprisingly, were about the messy snow-white locks and her new family. Even if she tried, Edelgard found her mind failed to stop constantly considering every possible condition that the little girl would need. After all, if this would be the last thing she could do anything for her, she would gladly do so at her best by ensuring that the Askr family could provide Elos everything, including a safe and warm forever home. Thinking so, quietly, Edelgard gave in and let herself drift along the trail of her thought instead.

By the time the sun had drifted slightly away from the middle of the clear blue sky, the scenery outside the small window had turned into a small town with several humble houses loosely arranged close to one another. A few people had come out of their homes along the dirt path and seemed to be taken aback by the Emperor’s sudden visit, urging a curious look from the observing snow-white locks inside the carriage in the process. A few more moments deep into the peaceful small town, the coach finally stopped in front of the mansion that was clearly distinct in its style and amenity from other buildings around it. Even before the coachman could reach for the door, Edelgard could sense the hasty movement outside through the window. When the door was opened fully, the Emperor and the General were greeted with a lean middle-aged woman with blond hair tied neatly into two buns, followed closed by a few servants who were lining up behind her. Besides the blond woman with the kind and cheerful eyes, two children were there with an exciting light glowed brightly in their eyes, one composed boy with dark blue hair tinted with a blond edge and one smiling girl with the same blond hair as the woman next to her. The instant they took a step down onto the dirt floor along with the cautious girl, who was carried closed by the General, a chant of greetings resonated through the area in unison. 

“Good afternoon, Your Majesty, Your Excellency.”

“Good afternoon, Your Majesty, Your Excellency!” 

Among the mannerly greetings, there was one voice that soared above everyone else with its energetic, lively voice, inevitably urging Edelgard to turn toward the young blond girl with her vivid smile. After she softly smiled back at her, Edelgard turned back to the older woman and properly greeted her, “Hello. Could you be madam Askr? And I assume that these are your children who seem to be more than eager to meet us, correct?”

“Yes, my name is Henriette Askr, Your Majesty. I deeply apologize for my daughter’s rowdy behavior,” the woman, Henriette, humbly inclined herself down as she placed her hand over the young girl’s head, prompting her to do the same awkwardly.

Upon seeing such a formal reaction, Edelgard remarked with a hint of a command, “Be at ease. We are not here for any political matters, after all. So, I prefer you and your children to act as you always do.”

Henriette seemed confused and conflicted at first, but after a beat, she smiled as the tension on her body dissipated into the air. “Thank you, Your Majesty. In that case, before I guide you and Your Excellency around my estate as you have asked in the letter, may I introduce them first?”

After seeing Henriette twirl her hand toward the two children beside her, Edelgard and Byleth gestured to her to continue, and so she did, “These are my two lovely children, as you might have noticed already. My older son is Alfonse, and my younger daughter is Sharena. They are only a few years older than little Elos.” 

While Alfonse politely bowed when his name was called, Sharena widened her smile and excitedly murmured something indescribable toward the Emperor, only to hastily bow when her brother nudged her side with his elbow. The sight made Edelgard and Byleth smiled at how close the two siblings seemed to be. A great first impression of this family, indeed. However, it appeared that her brother’s fair warning was not effective in the long term as Sharena quickly regained her joyful maneuver and swiftly directed her sparkling eyes toward the smaller child with curious amethyst eyes, who was hiding behind Byleth after she dropped the girl down as much to the little girl’s silent protest.

“Nice to meet you! Are you Elos? My new little sister?”

Despite the sudden loud call and unexpected attention, Elos remained silent behind Byleth as she refused to let go of the odd jacket and unfazed by the overwhelming beam that Sharena sent her way. At the same time, the smaller girl’s peculiar reaction did not dishearten Sharena’s friendly spirit one bit as the older girl only ever slightly drifted closer and closer to her. It was as if this girl had been waiting to meet her new little sister for years, and thus, she could not contain herself when she finally met one. Such enthusiasm somehow made Edelgard feel bad a bit since it seemed that Elos did not share the same feeling as Sharena. Nonetheless, deep down, she knew and hoped that Elos would eventually open up herself the more she spent time with this sibling, just like how she did to her and Byleth. The time would unfold itself, or so they said. 

“Sharena. Calm down. She will cry if you keep approaching her like that.”

Suddenly, a composed voice came from a taller boy behind Sharena, Alfonse, as he halted his sister with his serious face and a firm grasp at her shoulder, prompting the young girl to flinch out of her dazzling emotion. It took only a slight second before Sharena whipped back to her older brother and looked at him with bafflement evident on her face. It took a beat later, plus Alfonse’s particular look that Edelgard could read as ‘what did I tell you?’ when Sharena’s lip formed into a voiceless ‘oh right!’ with a realization flashed on her face. 

As she turned back to the silent Elos, Sharena tried her best to contain her excitement and continued her friendly invitation with a radiant smile, “I’m sorry. My name is Sharena. And this is my brother, Alfonse. And that is my mama! My dad is already gone with the Goddess in heaven, but he was a really good dad. I wished you could meet him. Anyway, we are so excited to meet you! There are so many things in our home that I wanna show you. It will be fun, I promise. So, let’s go!”

After finishing her introduction that sounded like coming from a prepared script except for the last two sentences, Sharena reached out her hand toward the messy snow-white locks, asking her to play together. Such a hasty approach and overstepping the Emperor and the General’s foster child prompted Henriette to shift closer to her daughter and about to halt her daughter. Suddenly, Edelgard raised her hand and stopped her, preferring to see how Elos would react and think about this energetic young girl. However, even after a moment passed, the only answer Sharena got was the silence and the blank stare. When Edelgard was about to say something to divert the subject and keep the young girl’s goodwill undamaged, Alfonse, once again, stepped up to assist his sister in his own way. 

“Sharena. I told you to calm down.” He paused for a bit as he stepped closer in between his sister and Elos before he continued with a subtle, apologetic smile, “I’m so sorry, Elos. Sharena is too much right now, but I can promise you that she means no harm. She just wants to know more about you, as do I.”

Elos maintained her stare for a few moments before she slowly inclined her head as a response to the boy’s reassuring words, earning a widened smile from Alfonse in the process. Before the young boy turned back to his sister, he seemed to notice the teddy bear within the quiet girl’s arms. Thus, while pointing at the lifeless black button, Alfonse curiously asked, “What is her name? Can you tell me? I’m wondering if I can be friends with her too.”

Upon hearing so, Elos appeared to hesitate for a few moments before the amethyst eyes gazed up toward Edelgard as if silently asking her something. Guidance, perhaps. Or maybe permission. Regardless, Edelgard sent her a confident nod before Elos went back to the boy and replied with a voice that barely above the whisper, “El.”

As soon as the word came out of the small lip, Edelgard unknowingly skipped a breath. The teddy bear’s name somehow suddenly flooded her mind with a foam of bubbles that started to pop up inside her. While she never asked Elos about the bear’s name before, she knew that these bubbles were not only about the surprise she had with the new information. However, before the unidentified bubbles could fully appear to the surface of her mind, Alfonse’s kind voice broke her trail of thoughts and brought her back to the present.

“Her name is El?”

Elos curtly nodded with more confidence as she began to reveal herself more from her cover before Sharena chimed in with a bright tone, “That’s a great name! Elos and El, nice to meet you!”

The amethyst eyes went a tad bit wider with a tint of startlement before she gradually lifted up the armored teddy bear to hide the lower half of her face and faintly said, “...Nice...meet you.”

Despite the uncertain voice that was akin to a whisper, Alfonse and Sharena’s face, along with Edelgard and Byleth, were pulled up into a smile before the sibling asked in unison as Sharena extended her hand toward Elos once again, “Let’s play together.”

At that moment, Edelgard could see a sparkle flashed brightly within the amethyst eyes before Elos slowly grabbed the older girl’s hand, adorning Sharena with even a broader and happier smile. As they took off with excited, cheerful giggles, Sharena carelessly shouted back to her mother with a question that was not a question, “Mama! Can we take Elos around?”

“Be careful! And don’t run too fast!” Henriette quickly replied back with a loud enough voice for the children, who had already reached the mansion door, to hear before she shook her head slightly with a helpless smile. 

“They seemed to warm up well together,” Byleth noted beside Edelgard as her relieved cobalt eyes followed the children into the Askr’s mansion, prompting an occupied nod from the snow-white locks as well.

Hearing so, Henriette turned her attention back to the Emperor and the General while letting out a light chuckle and a carefree smile that elicited a warm, trustworthy air around her. “I’m relieved to see so, Your Excellency. Now, shall we take our own tour as well?”

After Edelgard and Byleth gestured for permission, Henriette led them into the house and guided them throughout each area as she provided any answers that the Emperor occasionally asked for. They strolled through the magnificent main hall, the cozy living room, the clean dining hall, the serene study room, the packed dress room, and the warm bathroom. Overall, even though everything was smaller with less quality than the utility that was available at the Enbarr palace, Edelgard could feel that this estate was full of warmth, memories, and love. It would be a good place for Elos to live as a normal girl with a typical family, Edelgard concluded. During this time, Edelgard seized the opportunity to know more about the Askr family by occasionally prodded Henriette with some questions. Apparently, after the fall of the lord Askr’s news had traveled to here, it took quite a heavy toll on Henriette and the children. Even the fact that most servants willingly chose to remain under her wings after the abolished aristocracy system of nobility could not alleviate the agony she had felt at that time. However, as a mother and the lady of the house, Henriette said she tried her best to conceal all of her anguish and sorrow to tend to her children’s needs. But no matter how much she tried, and no matter how much the children cried, Alfonse and Sharena seemed to be able to pick up the pieces still. And before she realized how fast her children had grown, Alfonse and Sharena came to her with a letter and a sketch of a girl with messy, long hair in their hands, saying they wanted to help this girl. Then, Henriette suddenly interrupted her story with light chuckles. After recovering from the sudden change of manner, she recomposed and continued her story when she asked her children why. With a determination in their eyes, they revealed that they wanted to help forge a brighter future for everyone, just like what their father did. And when the story ended, the only thing left was the warm, peaceful smile of, as Edelgard used to imagine, a mother who was both proud and grateful of her children. Such an honest smile and voice reassured Edelgard that this family authentically wanted to help Elos. Not to mention that the intention initially came from the sibling themselves. No wonder why both Alfonse and Sharena seemed to be eager to meet Elos that much. In the end, as Edelgard silently concluded the pure intention to adopt the little girl, she made a mental note to thank Hubert later. He really did a fantastic job finding a great home for Elos, after all.

By the time they had explored every main room on the first and second floor, Henriette led them to the room at the end of the second floor’s hallway. She opened the wooden door and revealed Edelgard and Byleth to the room filled with toys, stuffies, and various books tugged nicely into the low bookshelf. At the center of the room, the simple, albeit comfy bed stood against the bright light that shone through the crystal clear large window, giving the room the exact amount of hospitality, light, and homeliness that a girl might need—a room that was closest to what Edelgard had once imagined that Elos should have. Nonetheless, at the back of her mind, Edelgard knew that the little girl sometimes had difficulty sleeping alone. While it was great that Henriette organized this room to be Elos’s private room, it also meant that the little girl would have to spend the night alone. And that, so far, was the most concerning thing Edelgard had. When Edelgard was about to discuss her thought with the lady of the house, suddenly, a sweet voice hinted with a little spring under the small feet called out behind them.

“El. By.”

As they looked back toward the source of the sound, Elos, along with Sharena and Alfonse, were jogging toward them down the hallway. All the while, Edelgard could hear that Sharena was grumbling something along the line of ‘I thought I could show Elos her bedroom before mama’s here.’ Though, Edelgard’s attention could stay on the sibling only for a beat as the messy snow-white locks stopped in front of Byleth and her, clearly asking for their attention with her beaming amethyst eyes. Before Edelgard could ask if the girl wanted anything, Elos handed them two small flowers in her scarred hand with a subtle smile and dazzling eyes. 

Edelgard shared a look with Byleth briefly before she leaned forward and softly asked, “Are these for us?”

Elos quickly nodded with excitement that prompted the corner of Edelgard’s thin lip to curve up into a small smile that painted her Emperor facade with soft features. Seeing that both women did not take the flowers yet, the tiny hand with the flowers slightly waved in front of the lilac eyes, urging the caring Emperor and the gentle General to take them. Thus, Edelgard lowered down on her knees before her crimson gloved hand retrieved one flower while Byleth’s calloused hand delicately grabbed for another one. From a closer look, it seemed that the flower was just a typical kind that can be commonly found anywhere in the vast wilderness, not beautiful nor rare nor vulnerable in any way. Even so, Edelgard enveloped the little flower in her crimson hands with care as if it was the rarest flower in Fodlan. When she lifted the small plant up to touch lightly at her nostril, there was no pleasant fragrance to relish. Even so, Edelgard breathed in fully as if the flower’s scent possessed an attractive charm. 

As she released her content breath, Edelgard quietly said with a tender smile, allowing only for Elos to hear, “Thank you.”

Upon hearing so, the amethyst eyes flared up with a proud starry light. However, instead of running off to rejoin the sibling after achieving her goal, Elos remained in her place with her sparkling eyes and kept staring at the lilac eyes as if she was waiting for something. When the lilac eyes started to fill with confusion, Byleth came closer before she leaned down to ruffle the messy snow-white locks casually.

“Thank you, kid.” 

Byleth’s genuine voice and her subtle smile prompted a quiet, sweet chuckle from the little girl that made Edelgard slightly widened her eyes in both endearment and wonderment. After the calloused warm hand was retracted back, the radiant amethyst eyes promptly returned their focus on Edelgard with even greater anticipation than before. As she realized that the girl might just want to be praised, Edelgard’s feature contorted with uncertainty. While she wanted to grant the girl’s wish, the voice in Edelgard’s mind kept telling her that she should not. After spending a short time with the Askr family, Edelgard knew that they would care for Elos well—even better than what the busy Emperor could offer. And so, even if she had not stated it out loud, but her mind had already decided that Elos would be happier with this family. And if today would really be the last time this little girl took shelter under her wings, then avoiding any more closed contact with her might be the most proper choice right now. However, as the conflicted lilac eyes were mesmerized by the innocent gaze that was beaming toward her right now, Edelgard somehow could not find the strength to deny such a pure wish. As she always did when she was faced with that amethyst eyes. Eventually, Edelgard gave in as she reluctantly patted the messy snow-white locks. A little pat just to urge the girl to get back to play with the sibling should be alright, she thought. But instead of feeling content with the praise, Elos appeared to be disappointed as the amethyst eyes dimmed down when the crimson gloved hand placed gently over the messy snow-white locks. Despite not understanding why the girl reacted in such a way, the crimson gloved hand kept patting anyway while Edelgard’s mind frantically searched for the way to remedy the situation in the haze of confusion. After all, the little girl had never acted like this when Edelgard offered her warm touch.

A moment later, Edelgard decided to try diverting the girl’s attention by pointing back to the Askr sibling with a dry smile. “Now, Alfonse and Sharena are waiting for you, are they not? Don’t you want to go play with them?” 

Instead of changing her focus toward her new friends as Edelgard had hoped, Elos shook her head slightly to pry herself free from the crimson gloved hand. She then lifted her armored bear and let the black button bore its dull light into the baffled lilac eyes as if she was trying to get her attention. When the girl was sure that the lilac eyes were looking at her bear, Elos deliberately lowered down the teddy bear and carried it closer until its soft muzzle pressed against her cheek. By the time that the teddy bear had returned to the place within the small arms, the anticipated amethyst eyes resumed their stare on the woman before her, waiting for something Edelgard just started to realize what it was. 

Thus, hesitantly, Edelgard asked Elos as her Emperor facade gradually scrambled into pieces, “Do you want me...to do the same as your teddy?” 

When the messy snow-white locks enthusiastically nodded with a beaming light returned to the amethyst eyes in full force, the Emperor was no more, leaving with only the conflicted face of a woman name Edelgard amidst the blank of mind. Compared to the small touch earlier, this one could potentially nourish something further—something that, for the sake of the girl herself, Edelgard had been trying to avoid as much as she could, especially for today when they were about to part. While the wheels in her mind were hastily turning to look for another alternate way out of this situation, her lip shut tight, preventing any breath from coming out. Suddenly, a warm touch softly pressed down against Edelgard’s stiff shoulder and lightly squeezed as if to console the tension within her. When the lilac eyes slightly turned toward her flank, Byleth was kneeling down beside her as her cobalt eyes intervened the anticipated amethyst line of sight. 

Just when the amethyst eyes shifted away from Edelgard to Byleth, the navy blue locks attempted a casual smile and tried her persuasion, “Elos. I saw lots of cool stuff inside the room. Do you want to see them? I’m sure Alfonse and Sharena can’t wait to show them to you.”

Quickly taking note of the cue, Alfonse chimed in as if he understood the situation, or rather, saw the opportunity to become closer to the little girl, “It actually is your bedroom, Elos. We can show you your bed, toys, and everything. Come on. I’m sure El wants to see her new friends and your new bed too.”

Instantly, the light in the amethyst eyes died down as the girl, with a subtle frown, turned toward Alfonse, who was stretching his hand toward the bedroom where Sharena just ran into. By the time the amethyst eyes had returned to the crimson regalia again, Edelgard was already straightened on her feet as she tried to control the flow of the situation.

While the amethyst eyes blinked at her perplexedly, Edelgard softly said with the lilac eyes directed toward Sharena within the room, refusing to directly meet the innocent eyes, “Go on, Elos. I’m sure it will be fun.”

Elos, after trying her best to seek the woman’s attention again with a tug on the crimson regalia and failed, slowly and reluctantly nodded. Seeing so, Alfonse led the little snow-white locks into the room to join with his sister. Edelgard could sense the lingering amethyst eyes on her that increased the weight upon her chest as the two walked past by. But as soon as Sharena began showing various stuff inside the room to the little girl, the lingering gaze faded away along with the numbness within her. When Edelgard unknowingly released a long sigh, it was the same time that she felt the returning warmth on her slumped shoulder. 

As she turned toward the woman standing beside her, Byleth quietly asked with a stoic facade and the hint of concern through the cobalt eyes, “Are you alright?”

Without realizing it, Edelgard skipped her breath for a beat before she replied with a solemn voice and a dry, hollow smile, “Of course.” 

Byleth, who seemed to see through Edelgard’s facade, did not say anything for a moment while her sharp cobalt eyes silently pierced through the mask. However, before Edelgard knew whether Byleth found what she was looking for or not, the innocent laughter lured their attention toward the children on the plain bed. Even from afar, Edelgard could see the curious amethyst eyes swiftly glanced between Alfonse, who was introducing another stuffed bear to the armored bear within the small arms, and Sharena, who was showing a wooden cart toy to the little child. Seeing that the little one had fully shifted her attention to the sibling and their new toys with the innocent curiosity and excitement once again, Edelgard’s dull smile gradually faded away, replaced by softer features and faint relief.

Realizing that the adults were looking at them, Sharena took the chance and asked Henriette with a bright, excited smile and beaming eyes, “Mama! Can I sleep with her tonight?”

“Sharena, my dear…,” Henriette , with a subtle unsettled face, was about to decline her daughter’s request when Alfonse chimed in with a reassuring smile.

“Do not worry, mother. I will make sure that they go to bed properly and that Sharena won’t do anything to disturb Elos.”

Despite the convincing words from her son, Henriette could not help but turn toward Edelgard as if to ask her how she should proceed. Of course, with what Edelgard had silently concluded previously, the Emperor slightly inclined her head to grant the permission, feeling relieved that she did not have to worry about Elos’s loneliness during the cold night anymore. Henriette quickly turned back toward the anticipating Sharena with a big warm smile before she gave a firm nod. In that instant, Sharena beamed up with an even brighter smile and a happy cheer as she jumped up and down on the bed. The impact of the wave created by the older girl made Elos inevitably sprung up and down along with her, painting a starry light within the amethyst eyes. Edelgard could not help but fondly smile, seeing how much Elos seemed to like the spring bed. While Sharena and Elos enjoyed the bouncy bed with their lively chuckle, leaving Alfonse with a hard time balancing himself, Henriette slightly shook her head with a helpless smile before she approached closer to the children. 

After clapping her hands together to lure in the children’s attention, she announced a question that sounded more like a reminder to them, “Now, now, children. Before the night comes with your excited sleepover, isn’t it a time for afternoon snacks?”

“Snacks!”

Sharena and Alfonse chanted in unison with a big smile as their mother brought the time and their usual routine to their minds. Without waiting any longer, the blonde girl quickly grabbed Elos’s scarred hand and led her down the bed before Alfonse could even find his balance. And by the time that Sharena had run and steered Elos out of the room with her joyful cheering, Alfonse’s feet just touched the floor before he swiftly ran after his sister, followed by his warning along the line of ‘slow down, Sharena! You will hurt yourself!’ All the while, Edelgard and Byleth silently watched the children run down the hallway and out into the green backyard where the servants just finished setting up the table and a picnic blanket with tea and pastries. 

When Henriette rejoined with the Emperor and the General at the doorsteps, Byleth remarked with amazement, evident in her slightly widened cobalt eyes that gazed toward where the children disappeared into, “Wow. Your daughter is really impressive.”

Hearing so, Henriette released bright chuckles before she casually replied with a proud smile, “Thank you, Your excellency. She’s really a handful. If not for Alfonse, she will get herself in trouble most of the time. But I’d be lying if I said I was not the one who was truly responsible for her personality.”

While Byleth quietly hummed along with a hint of curiosity, Edelgard simply let out a dry smile for how carefree Henriette was. Like mother, like daughter, or so they said. And now that the children were gone, the Emperor and the General decided to continue to finish their inspection. While they explored the bedroom for a bit more, Henriette casually tidied the room and put everything back where it belonged. Not long after they were satisfied with the brief tour, Henriette led both the Emperor and the General to the lawn outside, followed to where the children were. When they arrived, it seemed that the sibling and Elos were having fun with their assorted sweets on the colorful picnic blankets. Having no intention to interrupt the children, the pensive lilac eyes scanned around to take in the green lawn in full. It was a vast empty area filled with soft grass, colorful flowers, and lofty trees. At one corner of the space was a small garden filled with fresh floras and healthy plants. Surrounding the area was a simple, albeit secured, fence that created a safe space for children to play. 

While the natural scenery occupied her mind, Henriette spoke up as she walked past Edelgard and let her bare skin stain by the sunlight, “Sometimes, we have other children from the town come playing here too. Thanks to Sharena’s friendly personality that always draws people in. So, Your Majesty, I assure you that little Elos will never be lonely with us.”

“I see…,” Edelgard faintly replied as she trailed off at the end.

All the while, her mind as well her eyes were occupied by the texture of the well-maintained lawn underneath her feet. She could feel the softness that cradled her feet with care through her tall armored boots as if the freshness of the grass and dirt were welcoming her pale skin to touch them. If it was here among the natural playground, then it would be safe for Elos to take off her shoes and run about with her tiny bare feet, just like what the little girl loved to do—just like what Edelgard had promised her moons ago. And the thought of accomplishing the promise she made to the little girl somehow made the tight knot inside Edelgard’s chest loosen a tad bit more. Even so, the knot still existed within her. The knot she still could not identify the way to unbind it fully. However, before Edelgard could dwell on the numb feeling she had, two maids came into her periphery as they gestured the royal guests toward the white bistro set not far from where the children were. Thus, a few moments later, the Emperor and the General found themselves settling down at the tea-table full of sweets and pastries, resting their legs as they quietly watched the children from afar.

While Edelgard elegantly sipped on the pleasant tea that the maid just poured for her, Henriette, who sat across her, curiously asked with her casual smile, “How was the tea, Your Majesty? Flora here and Felicia beside her are the head of the servants. While Flora has quite a delicate talent in brewing tea, her twin sister has a good hand in baking pastries. We hope you like them.”

After the crimson gloved hand gently placed down the fine teacup onto the thin saucer, Edelgard solemnly replied as the lilac eyes shifted toward the two maids with identical features, “It is, indeed, a graceful tea with such a striking taste. Thank you, Flora.”

Upon the praising words, the maid with her blue hair humbly bowed before she and Felicia, a maid beside her with pink hair, politely excused themselves and returned to tend to the children who seemed to finish their snacks already. The children promptly resumed their play with Elos, who just happened to throw away her shoes when Edelgard was not looking, followed the sibling around as any little sister would follow her older siblings. All the while, the peaceful silence fell over the adults over the tea table with every pair of eyes fondly watched over the lively children. During this relaxing flow of time, Edelgard’s mind silently recalled what she had seen from the Askr family all over again and, eventually, came to a final conclusion. Thus, the Emperor straightened up in her seat as she gestured toward Byleth before the General knowingly retrieved a piece of parchment from her cape. And the lilac eyes did not miss the gleam of hesitation that flashed briefly within the stoic cobalt eyes. 

When Byleth placed down the parchment on the table, Edelgard let what she saw passed and, instead, calmly said what she had to say aloud, “Here is the document regarding the adoption. As I stated in the letter, and I shall say it again, Elos is quite a unique child. The war took away her family and her childhood. It also left her with unerasable scars and pale hair, as well as her unusual, powerful crests. With that, are you certain to take this child in?”

Upon the change of air, Henriette did not immediately reply as she only pensively observed the stern manner of the Emperor. Her face was not quite a surprise one, but, instead, it seemed like the lady of the Askr house was considering something beyond the Emperor’s question. Thus, Edelgard simply waited. Luckily, she did not have to wait that long as a moment later, Henriette resumed her casual, kind face.

“Before I answered your question, may I ask you something, Your Majesty?” After Edelgard inclined her head slightly as a gesture of permission, Henriette continued as her face was pulled down into a concern frown that completely replaced her previous carefree smile, “I am aware that you are the one who declared war with the Church of Seiros all those years ago. After the war, I am also aware of how much you devoted yourself to support your citizens, including those who had lost their loved ones. However, with this little Elos, I could not help but sense something different in the way you aid her, especially how you look at her when she plays. Is there any meaning behind that, Your Majesty?”

The direct question prompted the crimson gloved hand with the lukewarm tea to gradually halt its way to the thin lip as silence hovered over them once again. But this time, it was a heavier silence just like the weight of the stern lilac eyes that bore upon the blond woman before her. Edelgard gradually increased the pressure through her sharp eyes and tried to push her to submit as she pierced through the intention behind the woman’s words. Initially, Edelgard intentionally concealed the true reason for Elos’s scars and her two Crests to disguise the little girl as a typical orphan rather than an orphan who had been severely experimented on. It would also keep the adoptive family away from the hands of Those Who Slither, at least until she completely wiped them out for the good of Fodlan. Perhaps, after they were no more, Edelgard could let the Askr family know the truth. But for now, it was better this way. Regardless, Henriette did not flinch as her eyes bore no ill-intention besides the genuine question and a hint of concern, wavering only slightly at the first contact with the firm lilac pair. But…strange, she thought. Henriette’s maneuver was not quite like someone trying to expose the true dangerous story of the mysterious child. Instead, the way she asked seemed to be about something else—something Edelgard still could not fathom. After a few moments of silence, Edelgard decided to let the foreign feeling pass as the lilac eyes slowly hid behind their curtain to carefully consider her next words.

When she opened them again, the piercing eyes were no more, leaving with only the distant lilac eyes as she deliberately uttered every word with a weight of responsibility and duty of such Emperor, “...it was my choice to wage the war, and I must live with its consequences. For Elos, I simply held responsible for the girl’s tragedy just like I did for all citizens of Fodlan. Nothing more, nothing less.”

As if such a response was not what she was looking for, Henriette continued her pensive eyes on the Emperor silently until a few moments later when she finally gave in and resumed her casual manner. “I see. Thank you for answering my unbecoming question, Your Majesty. And to answer yours, yes, I am certain to take care of little Elos, if you would allow me to. The first time I saw her sketch, I was quite aware that she might have a rough life before. Even so, my children and I had already discussed this matter many times. Their answers never changed, and so does mine. We will care and raise her in the best possible way, Your Majesty.”

With that, Edelgard’s lip curled up into a subtle smile as she offered her crimson gloved hand to Henriette and concluded the arrangement with her firm voice, “Then I must leave her in your care from now on.”

After shaking hands with each other, Edelgard signed the parchment to approve the child’s adoption and passed it on to Henriette. While the lady of the Askr family signed the parchment, Edelgard suddenly felt the warm, calloused hand gently cradle her crimson gloved hand under the table. As the lilac eyes glanced to her side, Edelgard found the calm cobalt eyes, hinted with concern and uncertainty, were looking at her with a neutral facade. And so, Edelgard laced her elegant fingers with Byleth before she tightened their joined hands as the soft, unwavering lilac eyes and a small smile voicelessly uttered an assurance for her lover. It took quite some moments as they shared a long look at each other until Edelgard could feel the calloused hand lightly squeezed back. After the question in the cobalt eyes had vanished, Byleth called upon one of the few guards that they brought with to bring her Elos’s suitcase. By the time that Byleth had her hands on the small yet packed carried bag, she approached Henriette and deliberately and thoroughly clarified every object within it. 

“This’s her rod. She loves fishing, though she might need a bigger one as she grows. This one is her personal mug. She will drink anything you pour in it. And this is the wooden toy she likes. These are her clothes. These are her special shoes. She doesn’t like wearing one, and even if she wore one, she would try to toss them off when you are not looking. So be careful with that. And...”

While Byleth’s detailed description went on and on with Henriette and her awkward smile, the lilac eyes drifted around the tranquil lawn until they landed upon the three children near the flower garden. As the older sister and the older brother showed the little girl around the small garden full of vivid blossom, the innocent amethyst eyes shone brightly, rivaling the colorful flowers and even the sun above. Their laughter, full of pureness and life, occasionally floated into Edelgard’s heart and inflamed the warmth within. As if it was already engraved deep within her mind, the melancholic lilac eyes could clearly see the radiant, precious smile on the little girl with her messy snow-white hair even from afar. The little girl who used to be so stoic and emotionless. The little girl who had changed entirely from the first day they met on the soaked battlefield. As the memories of the past moons softened her features, Edelgard, surprisingly, felt proud of the little one’s growth when she realized how far Elos had come. The little injured eaglet she had saved that day was now recovered enough to spread its wings against the wind blow that flowed through its feather. Soon, this little bird would be able to proudly and fiercely soar through the sky like the brave eagle Edelgard hoped her to be. 

As if sensing the lingering eyes upon her, Elos looked up from the tiny newborn plant within a small flowerpot before she sent a sweet smile along with a little wave of the scarred hand toward Edelgard. The sight softened Edelgard’s features and prompted the foam of bubbles to reappear within her once again before she slightly waved back with a fond smile that she could not contain. Within that brief moment, she could feel the bubbles inside her started to pop into a pleasant rhythm as they spread their melodious song throughout her body. However, upon realizing the situation, Edelgard’s smile gradually dimmed down into a sad one as the crimson gloved hand slowed its wave until it hung aimlessly in the air. Seeing so, Elos also halted her wave and only kept smiling brightly toward the crimson regalia from afar. As the flow of time seemed to pause for a few beats, Edelgard steeled herself with a dull knot within her chest before her dry lip that attempted to form into a smile delivered silent words into the stilled air. 

_‘ Goodbye, my little angel.’_

As the words lacked in their strength to manifest aloud, the little girl did not respond further besides dazedly tilting her head slightly to the side until the Askr sibling recaptured her attention once again. Edelgard slowly returned her hand to her empty lap while the dim lilac eyes silently watched Elos turn back to have a pleasant time with her adoptive sibling. By the time she realized that Byleth had finished with her detailed elaboration quite a while ago, a simple, last question from Henriette brought Edelgard back to the tea table in front of her. 

“Do you want to say goodbye to her before you go, Your Majesty, Your Excellency?”

Shifting back to Henriette across the table, Edelgard replied plainly as the Emperor should be, “It’s alright. I think it would be better if I just leave her like that. After all, I do not want to disrupt the fun she is having right now.”

As Henriette acknowledged with a hesitant nod, Edelgard turned toward Byleth beside her and asked, “What about you, Byleth? Do you have anything to talk to her before we go?”

With that, Byleth contemplated for a moment before she curtly nodded and began walking toward the busy children at the small garden. Even before she reached where they were, Elos immediately sprung up and ran to meet Byleth as soon as the amethyst eyes noticed her. When the messy snow-white locks stopped in front of her, Byleth knelt down and said something that Edelgard could not hear. A beat later, the smiling Elos tilted her head slightly to the side as if the little one could not fully understand what Byleth had said. Even so, Byleth fondly ruffled the wild hair for the last time before she straightened up and walked away. Looking past the broad shoulder, Edelgard could see the lingering amethyst eyes hinted with puzzlement following her lover behind. But again, the lasting gaze was gone when Sharena approached Elos with a trowel in hand and guided the little child back to the garden. 

When Byleth returned to Edelgard and Henriette, she looked back over her shoulder and remarked with a subtle frown on her face, “I told her never forget eating no matter what and never steal food from Alfonse or Sharena’s plate as she does with me. But she looks confused…”

While Edelgard’s face was only adorned with a dry smile, Henriette faintly chuckled before she noted, “I will make sure of such, Your Excellency. Please, do not worry.”

The firm assurance might have soothed her unease a tad bit as Byleth gave a brief nod toward Henriette with a subtle curved of her lip, though Edelgard could still sense the worry underneath her. With that, the Emperor and the General were escorted back to their coach, quietly turning away from the little one who still did not realize the two’s absence. Afterward, Henriette spent a few moments bidding farewell to the Emperor and the General until Edelgard ordered her and her maids to go back and take care of the children, leaving her and Byleth alone in silence. 

When Edelgard turned back and was about to get into the royal coach, Byleth reluctantly spoke up and halted the Emperor’s step, “El, are you sure about this?”

A beat of silence later, the slightly brown eyebrows faintly touched each other on her forehead before Edelgard gazed back toward her lover and inwardly recalled her assessment. “Well, Henriette is a great mother. Her kindness and thoughtfulness could even suppress those of myself. Elos seemed to get along well with Alfonse and Sherena too, so I’m sure she will never be lonely. Soon, they might come to love and care for Elos as if she was their real family even. So, she will be fine, Byleth. It’s better for her to be here with them.”

The slight flinch of Byleth’s features expressed that those words of assurance were not the answer her lover was looking for. Even when Edelgard had not finished yet, she could see Byleth furrowed her brow before her lip opened to say something. But within the next second, Byleth hesitantly shut it tight once again and responded with a small incline of her head instead. And so, the lilac eyes quickly hid away from the conflicted cobalt eyes, suddenly feeling afraid to find out what Byleth thought before she carefully carried herself into the carriage. All the while, her mind repeated her own words she just said over and over. 

_She will be fine. It’s better for her to be here with them._

After the General followed the Emperor into the vehicle and sat quietly beside her, the coachman gently snapped the reins, urging the horses to trot forward with a screeching neigh. When the horses started pulling the coach with their tremendous strength, the room inside was filled with nothing but the empty air and the constant clopping sound. The current of time seemed to flow slower than it was supposed to as neither Edelgard nor Byleth dared to crack their lips and broke the strange silence hung over them. All the while, the distant lilac eyes silently stared upon the tiny flower while she gently spun it in between her delicate crimson fingers. Even though Edelgard felt like she had many things clog up within her mind, nothing could form into a tangible thought enough to pass through her lip. Some of them were about what she would do when she got back to her office, some were about what her next step to destroy her true enemy in the shadow should be, and some were about the little girl with a pair of innocent amethyst eyes. By the time she found her mind finally gathered the scattering fragments of thought, a few hours had already passed by, and her lip became dry against the colder air of the dusk. Even so, her thin lip slipped open with a distant voice that barely above a whisper.

“...When I got released from that cursed dungeon, I realized that no one was truly beside me. I had my loving father, but he was too weak even to lift a hand to soothe me. I had my childhood vassal, but he had forever changed into someone with a firm goal in his mind. A goal that made him distanced himself even further than before. And the girl named Edelgard was left all alone in the dark. Sometimes, I even wondered if I had truly been released from that cage or this body—this life is just another cage I was putting in. Soon, I learned to do things alone, to trust no one but myself…” Edelgard paused to let her words dissipate into the silence as she lingered her dull lilac eyes on the tiny flower, getting lost within the dark sea of the distant past. 

It was then when she felt Byleth’s warm touch wrapping around her gently before she pulled her closer, prompting the crowned snow-white locks to rest against the broad shoulder without the need to express any words. After all, Byleth, her beloved, was never good with words. Even so, her tender touch and her soothing silence were always enough for Edelgard. A few moments passed until the firm warmth around her stirred up the voice in Edelgard once again, encouraging her to continue.

“But Elos...I wish that she won’t be like me. I wish that she could trust someone and open herself to others, not shutting herself away from everyone. I wish that...she will never be alone.” 

“And she didn’t, El. She had us. She had everyone in the Strike Force and the orphanage with her. And now she has Henriette, Alfonse, and Sharena. Remember the big smile she always has?”

Edelgard weakly let out a faint chuckle upon the mention of the radiant, innocent smile she had embedded within her mind ever since the first time it revealed itself to the world before she replied weakly with a melancholic whisper, “Of course. I would never forget that smile...”

As if her own words were the key, Edelgard’s mind promptly recalled the image of the messy snow-white locks looking up at her with the pure amethyst eyes and the sweet voice calling out her name. Trying to prevent her mind from wandering further into the dangerous path, Edelgard pressed herself closer against the solid frame as she silently scolded herself. Even though she was the one who reassured Byleth that the girl would be fine with her forever family, she ended up being the one who felt uncertain instead. This was not like her at all. She should not have her emotion overcome her logic, but here she was, feeling contradicted within herself somehow.

She hated this.

She hated herself for feeling as such.

And she hated the atmosphere within the coach that frankly resembled the air during the ride back to Garreg Mach with Byleth after her coronation.

Or rather, this time, it was slightly different.

Perhaps, it was because of the time she spent with the little one that weakened her resolution. Or perhaps, it was because her cold heart had already been thawed by Byleth a long time ago, making her vulnerable to the side of her humanity more than ever. Regardless, none of that would matter anymore. After all, Elos was with her family now. A family who could be with her all day long without an urgent diplomatic matter. A family with a big brother and sister who would look after her when she was lonely. A family with a real mother who would deeply care for her with those hands that were not painted by a dark crimson stain like hers. It was better this way. It was always better this way. 

Even so…

“I wonder…what do you think, my love?”

After Edelgard’s voice floated aloft into the silence and waited to be responded to, it was a long moment as the lilac eyes remained on the flower in between her fingers, feeling strangely afraid to know what her lover’s next word would be. Eventually, Byleth replied with a soothing voice as she cradled Edelgard tighter, “...If you think it’s the best for her, then I think it’s the right thing, El.”

When the words finally registered into her mind, Edelgard’s features pulled down into a frown before she slightly pried herself away from the warm body to clarify her question. “No, Byleth. That’s not- I’m asking what do you actually think, Byleth.”

Upon hearing so, the cobalt eyes dumbfoundedly blinked toward the wavering lilac eyes before they shifted away with a faint hum that soon turned into a wishful tone and the softened features. “I’m actually thinking about what Elos would be like when she grows up.”

The crowned snow-white locks slightly tilted to the side while the confused lilac eyes gazed into the hopeful cobalt pair, failing to follow what her lover was trying to convey. When Byleth noticed the quiet Edelgard with her baffled face, the corner of her lip curled up into a subtle smile as the gentle cobalt eyes clarified her words for the woman before her.

“After she settles down with her new home and lives there for a few years, do you think she will want to be in school? Maybe she will decide to go to Enbarr and study there, being my student. I wonder if she will want to see us. It would be great if she does, though.”

Such a hopeful tone and the eyes that glimpsed toward the unknown future without the fear of uncontrollable force prompted Edelgard to chuckle softly with a relaxed smile before she returned to snuggle close against her optimistic lover and teasingly noted, “If she remembers us, that is.”

Despite the discouraging remark, Byleth did not flinch one bit and only wrapped herself closer and tighter around the smaller woman as she firmly responded with a hint of a smile, “I know she will.”

Byleth then planted a kiss onto the crown of the snow-white locks as a closing remark before nonchalantly snuggling her messy navy blue locks against her, earning a secret smile from Edelgard. Even now and then, Edelgard always wondered how Byleth could readily trust and believe in other people with such ease and strong confidence. But it could not be denied that this firm belief of hers had proved time and time again to be the significant inspiration that drove anyone who received the calm, encouraging voice to believe in themselves even if they never did so before. Everyone in the Strike Force and her knew that too well. Besides, admittedly, this side of her lover never failed to comfort any concern and doubt Edelgard had in herself. With that marvel alone, it made Edelgard want to believe in what her lover believed and, frankly, yearn to be consoled by Byleth’s voice over and over again without boredom.

While the lilac eyes were occupied by her own thought and the tiny spinning flower in between her fingers, Edelgard suddenly felt Byleth lifted her head enough for the cobalt eyes to gaze at her and curiously asked, “What do you think she will be when she grows up? Maybe a soldier in the palace?”

Hearing so, it took only a beat before Edelgard remarked with a relaxed voice, free of the dark cloud that consumed over her a few minutes ago, “I don’t think so, nor I hope she will be one, my love. It will only be a year or two until the soldier will be unnecessary to protect the city.”

Byleth hummed low along with the implication of Edelgard’s words before she presented another speculation instead, “Then a fisher? She will definitely be the most renowned fisher of Fodlan. How does that sound?”

Edelgard could not help but to release a muffled chuckle full of amusement as she stole a glance at Byleth’s earnest face and reminded her with a slight smirk hinted within her tone, “A fisher? Well, it is possible, I supposed. But I think she is better suited for a very talented artist. Don’t tell me you already forget that mug she painted herself.”

Instead of complying with her argument, Byleth hummed again with a sound full of doubt and mischief that urged Edelgard to scold her lover with a light smack on Byleth’s cheek with the back of the crimson gloved hand. Byleth, feeling no offense at all, only giggled playfully as she gently grabbed the crimson gloved hand before she brought it to her lip to adorn it with her fond kiss. Such a warm and passionate gesture prompted Edelgard to give in and silently intertwine her delicate fingers with Byleth before they returned to their comfortable position, where they leaned against each other, asking for closeness that both of them had longed for. After the peaceful lilac eyes returned to the little flower, they sat there in a long silence—a comfortable silence they always loved to spend together. 

Eventually, Byleth whispered faintly with a tint of a subtle smile, “A teacher then.” 

While the corner of her lip curled up into a small smile herself, Edelgard replied with a soft, wishful whisper before her voice trailed off and dissipated into the silence within the moving carriage, “A teacher sounds great...as long as it is what she truly wants...”

Edelgard always found that it was quite strange talking about the future with her in it since the long past. And whenever she did, her mind and her heart would always conflict with each other. Normally, it was easier to talk about others’ future than hers, much less the future of her life with someone she truly loved being there with her. However, recently, whenever Byleth reminded her that she would be here by her side, no matter if it would be through her gesture, her eyes, or her words, Edelgard always found it was a lot simpler and clearer to paint those enchanting futures within her mind. She thought she would get used to this one day, having a chance to constantly think about her own future with Byleth beyond the end of the war in the shadows. As long as she had these firm hands, this warm body, those eyes that always looked ahead, and that voice that was always trusting and soothing, she knew she would get used to it—not today, but one day eventually. 

Afterward, the heavy silence had changed in its current into a light, pleasant one that stayed hanging over them throughout their ride back to Enbarr. All the while, Edelgard, who leaned on Byleth in silence, never had her hopeful lilac eyes pry away from the small flower in her hand until the darkness of the slumber gradually consumed her sight. She could not tell exactly when she went into sleep, but the last thing she remembered was the warm, firm embrace from Byleth that seemed to be a lot tighter and more protective than before. When they finally arrived back at the palace, and the sun had left the sky, the Emperor promptly resumed her duty without the hint of exhaustion in the slightest. And the whole time, she gently kept the small, priceless flower closed while the back of her mind was still painted with the bright future of the growing, beautiful young girl with her amethyst eyes. 

_She will be fine._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnnnnnnd how was it? Did you enjoy this chapter? I did take a break due to the laptop issue before writing this chapter, so I'm interested to know how my writing is doing!  
> I think it's getting worst, but...Well, feel free to let me know what you think in the comment!  
> That said, judging from the time I spent writing this chapter, I could somehow guess how long it will be for me to write the next and the next and the next chapters. XD The closer to the end, the more attention I spend for each chapter. That also means more waiting time for everyone...Um...I'll try my best to deliver though. So I hope everyone will still stick around until it ends.   
> Lastly, as always, thank you for reading! And stay safe out there, everyone!
> 
> Fun fact:  
> \- Elos has her own mug in which she painted Edelgard, Byleth, and herself on it.  
> \- When she's not full yet, Elos tends to grab more food from Byleth's plate because it was closer to her. Byleth never mind that because she always shared a meal with her father all the time, except the meal she really likes though.  
> \- Have you ever seen parents who left their child at the daycare or a school without saying goodbye to them or trying to explain that they will come back? They just leave them quietly, thinking it would be better that way? It depends on the child's personality and attachment, but most of the time, the child would be devastating because he/she doesn't understand the situation, nor understand that their parents will come back for them. So, it would be better to talk to them. Children are more capable to understand things than we think they are.  
> \- Carnation goes by the name of Dianthus which means the “flower of God.” I think that pair well with the name "Edelgard," which means the God. Neat.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoy this so far. Please let me know what you think about this in the comment (about my writing style, the length, the format, how you feel, or anything really...). You can also point me out the additional tags or grammatical errors too if you see any! That said, if something makes no sense to you, I would gladly clarify them in the comment too
> 
> Thank you!


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